County Commissioner enact BURN BAN

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 12:30 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

On Monday, the Marshall County Commissioners, following recommendations from the Emergency Management Agency and local fire departments, issued a “Burn Ban” for the County, effective immediately.

Due to prolonged dry conditions, there is an elevated risk of fires spreading quickly and becoming out of control. Marshall County has recently experienced a few grass fires, and the threat is expected to elevate in the coming days and weeks.

The order declares that, effective immediately, the following activities are prohibited in Marshall County:

Open burning of any kind using conventional fuel such as wood or other combustible material, except for grills fueled by charcoal briquettes or propane (charcoal from permitted grill shall not be removed from the grills until the charcoal has been thoroughly extinguished);
The burning of debris, such as timber or vegetation, and debris from construction activities.

According to the Marshall County Commissioners, small campfires and fireworks are permitted. However, this ordinance prohibits only larger fires, such as recreational bonfires or burning wooded debris and/or waste.

To report a violation of the burn ban, please get in touch with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.

If conditions improve due to significant rainfall, the Marshall County Commissioners will rescind the burn ban and permit the above activities again.

A statewide map of counties that have issued burn bans is available at in.gov/dhs/burnban. Once Marshall County has returned to normal burning status, this map will be updated. Further updates will be posted to the Marshall County App and the Marshall County EMA Facebook page.