(Payne County, Okla.) Due to the extreme fire danger in Payne County, the Payne County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution this week to authorize a burn ban throughout the county until January 30, 2014.
The resolution states “it is unlawful for any person to set fire to any forest, grass, range, crop or other wild lands, or to build a campifre or bonfire, or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass, range, crop, or other wild lands fire.”
Exceptions are indoor fire places, commercial or professional covered cookers, welding, torch down roofing, and gas grills with adequate protection. Agricultural burning of range and crop lands is permitted provided the following conditions are met:
1) Must have a written prescribed burn plan, and the conditions stated in the plan must be met when the burn is started.
2) A copy of the burn plan must be on file with the fire department in which fire district the controlled burn is to occur, prior to starting the burn. A copy of the burn plan must also be at the site of the burn.
3) The fire department and law enforcement agency responsible for the area in which the burn is to occur must be notified immediately prior to beginning the burn.
(Brush piles are NOT considered to be agricultural burns, and therefore are NOT exempt).
Any person convicted of violating the resolution shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not more than $500, to imprisonment for not more than one year, or to both fine and imprisonment.
If extreme conditions persist, subsequent resolutions may be passed. This burn ban may be removed at any time during this period by the same method by which it was approved.
Questions? Contact the Cushing Fire Department at 918-225-3361.
Click here to read about Burn Permits for Residential Burning in Cushing: News release on Burn Permits
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