Washington County reinstates burn ban following two Wednesday wildfires
The county's Office of Emergency Management reinstated the countywide burn ban shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, effective immediately, according to a county announcement. That move came by order of the county commissioners.
"All outdoor burning is strictly prohibited and will remain in effect for a minimum of one week. This decision is based on the current weather conditions and the heightened risk of outdoor fires," according to a message from the county's emergency notification system.
"Residents are urged to comply with the burn ban to prevent the risk of uncontrolled fires that could threaten lives and property," a county news release states. "Violators of the burn ban may be subject to fines and penalties per Md. Code Regs. 08.07.04.02 - Application and Md. Code Regs. 08.07.04.03 - Open Air Burning."
"We are reinstating the burn ban due to the elevated fire danger and an increase in the number of outdoor fires, which have been more frequent and significant," Emergency Management Director Alan Matheny said in the release. "We urge all residents to adhere to this ban and take fire safety seriously to protect our community."
The current burn ban prohibits the following, but is not limited to these actions alone:
Campfires
Open fire pits
Burning debris and brush
Agricultural burns
Any other open flame activity that could pose a fire hazard
The last burn ban was lifted on Monday morning. Since then there have been at least two outdoor fires in the county.
The National Weather Service is forecasting winds up to 5 mph to 10 mph for Friday in the Hagerstown area and gusts as high as 25 mph on Saturday.
There is a chance of rain starting Saturday, with that chance forecasted at 100% for at least part of Sunday, according to the weather service's website.
The latest burn ban comes in the wake of two outside fires on Wednesday afternoon, one near Hagerstown City Park that burned about 2.6 acres, and one in the Pinesburg area that reached the exterior wall of a camper trailer.
The Hagerstown wildfire was at the site of the old railroad roundhouse off South Burhans Boulevard, according to a Facebook post by the Hagerstown Fire Department.
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All city fire companies as well as numerous assisting companies responded to the fire, which also burned a retaining wall made of railroad ties and piles of railroad ties, the post states.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire before it got to a more wooded area next to City Park.
The Pinesburg-area fire was a grass/brush fire that spread to a camper trailer and burned the trailer's exterior wall, according to a news release from the Maryland state fire marshal's office.
The preliminary cause of that fire was listed as accidental due to improperly discarded ashes.
The fire occurred in the 14300 block of Clear Spring Road, northwest of Williamsport
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County, Maryland, reinstates burn ban after two wildfires
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