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Advisories

Burn Bans

Current posted bans:
Schuylkill County, April 5 - May 5, 2013.

Local municipalities and county offices may have additional burn ban information, so be sure to check if burning is permitted.

Wildfire Danger

The latest observations of wildfire danger across the country are posted online by the US Forest Service Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS).

The WFAS also posts a nationwide forecast of wildfire danger for the next 24 hours.

National Wildfire Incidents

To see where major wildfires are currently burning visit the US Forest Service-Active Fire Mapping web page.

Burn bans are a tool used to protect life, property and our natural resources from wildfire. Ninety-eight percent of the wildfires in Pennsylvania are a direct result of people and place emergency responders directly in harms way. They also tie up emergency responders and apparatus that serve the community in the event of traffic accidents, house fires, and other emergencies.

Burning Ban Definition – "Open burning" is defined as the ignition and subsequent burning of any combustible material (garbage, leaves, grass, twigs, litter, paper, vegetative matter involved with land clearing, or any sort of debris) out-of-doors either in a burn barrel or on the ground. The use of propane or gas stoves, charcoal briquette grills, or the use of tobacco in any form is not covered under county burn bans. Camp fires are allowed in the fire rings that confine and contain the camp fire in a designated state, federal, or Department of Environmental Protection licensed campground.

County burn bans on open burning can be put in place at the request of the District Fire Warden (usually the District Forester), after at least 10 fire chiefs or 50% of the fire chiefs in the county, whichever is less, recommend and request the imposition of a temporary countywide burn ban on open fires. Any burn ban imposed under this section (Act 1995-52) should include the above Burn Ban Definition and shall remain in effect for no more than 30 days. County commissioners, upon recommendation of the District Forester, may extend the ban for up to an additional 30 days.

State bans must be implemented by a Governor's proclamation. State bans prohibit smoking of tobacco in any form and building of camp fires or burning of brush and other debris within woodlands or within 200 feet of woodlands within any county of the Commonwealth. Fire danger must be very high in ¾ of the state, there have been 35 fires for 4 consecutive days, or the entire state is in class IV (very high fire danger) with no relief in sight. Statewide burn bans have only been implemented 7 times since 1952.

The danger of wildland fire in differnet habiats under different weather conditions is rated from low to extreme by the US Forest Service-Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS). Definitions of the rating classes are provided in a pdf document. The most recent observed conditions and a short term forecast are posted daily by the WFAS. Follow the links under the Wildfire Danger heading.