MCARTHUR, Ohio — The McArthur Fire Department is reminding Vinton County residents that Ohio’s annual fall restrictions on open burning take effect Oct. 1, prohibiting most outdoor burning during daylight hours through the end of November.
Open burning of leaves, brush, grass, weeds, wood and other yard waste is banned in unincorporated areas of Ohio from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, with limited exceptions, the fire department said in a Facebook post.
The seasonal restriction, laid out in the Ohio Revised Code and enforced by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry, is tied to the driest stretches of the state’s calendar. The same ban also applies each spring, in March, April and May. Dry leaves, grass and other vegetation combined with lower humidity and breezy fall weather can make outdoor fires harder to control and raise the risk that a routine debris fire spreads into a larger wildfire, according to the department.
Violators of the state’s open-burning restrictions can face citations and fines.
The fire department said residents who do have a legal outdoor fire outside the restricted hours should keep it attended at all times, keep it under control, and make sure it is completely extinguished before leaving it.
“Your cooperation helps keep our community, homes, property, and firefighters safe,” the department said.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the McArthur Fire Department.
