Red Flag Warnings and Ohio Restrictions on Open Burning
MEIGS COUNTY – Meigs County is under a Red Flag Warning for March 22.
Low relative humidity combined with gusting winds and dry conditions have resulted in an increased concern about fires.
A Red Flag Warning will remain in effect until 9 p.m. from the National Weather Service.
Spring means warmer weather and winds, but it also means Ohio’s open burning ban is in effect. An open burning restriction is in effect during the months of March, April and May. With conditions just right, however, it is still dangerous for opening burning. A Red Flag Warning maybe issued as well. Ohio maintains an open burn ban in the spring and fall.
The National Weather Service defines a Red Flag Warning also known as a Fire Weather Warning as “forecast warning issued by the United States National Weather Service to inform area firefighting and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire combustion, and rapid spread.”
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources the Revised Code prohibits outdoor open burning and prescribed fires in the months of March, April, May, October, and November between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. This ban includes burning of yard waste, trash, and debris, even in a proper burn barrel.
Even outside the time and date restrictions, any person conducting a burn must obtain landowner permission, remain with the fire while it is burning, and take all reasonable precautions to prevent the fire from escaping. For more information concerning open burning contact the Ohio Division of Forestry at 1-877-247-8733.
Ohio Administrative Code 3745.19 is enforced by the Ohio EPA. Notification is required for many types of open burns in Ohio. Certain items are not to ever be burned according to the Ohio EPA: food waste; dead animals; materials containing rubber, grease, asphalt, or made from petroleum.
Other restrictions include: fires must be more than 1000 feet from neighbor’s inhabited building; no burning when air pollution alert, warning, or emergency is in effect; fire/smoke cannot obscure visibility on roadway, railways, or airfields; no waste generated off the premises may be burned; and no burning within village or city limits or restricted areas. For more information contact Ohio EPA: (614) 644-2270 or Ohio EPA Open Burning.
