White County has lifted its burn ban due to improving weather conditions. Rain moved into the region on Thursday after days of continued dry, windy weather.
The county banned outdoor burning earlier this week as weather conditions helped fuel a wildfire that spread from one residence to nearly 200 acres just outside of Helen. According to the White County Public Safety Department, the Unicoi Wildfire was caused by a person illegally burning leaves, which got out of hand.
Although the Georgia Forestry Commission no longer requires a burn permit for small hand-piled vegetation, state law requires certain rules must be followed. Anyone not following these “SSTAR” rules may be cited and held liable for damage:
- Space: Keep fires at least 25 feet from woodlands and forests.
- Time: No burning before sunrise or after sunset.
- Attendance: Someone must be on-site until the fire is extinguished.
- Reasonable precautions:
– Keep tools and measures in place to prevent escaped fire;
– Keep a continuous pressurized water source on-site;
– Create a man-made or natural barrier to contain the fire;
– Keep hand tools/fire-containing equipment on site
– Weather awareness: No burning on NWS red flag warning days, Fire Danger designation of hazardous conditions – High/Extreme days, low relative humidity days, high winds, etc. - Space: Keep fires at least 25 feet from woodlands and forests.
- Time: No burning before sunrise or after sunset.
- Attendance: Someone must be on-site until the fire is extinguished.
It’s always advisable to check with your local burn permitting authority before burning outdoors to ensure that it’s safe to do so.
