All of Northwest Arkansas under burn ban

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Nearly a dozen counties, all in the Northwest part of Arkansas are under a burn ban until further notice.

Benton and Washington counties were added on Friday to the growing list of counties under a burn ban. Crawford, Madison, Carroll, Franklin, Newton, Johnson, Logan and Yell counties previously announced they were under a burn ban.

Union County in southern Arkansas also issued a burn ban on Friday.

This comes as drought conditions continue to worsen in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley due to multiple days of dry weather and lack of precipitation.

All counties under a burn ban, except for Yell County are at “High” wildfire danger, according to the Arkansas Forestry Division .

As of 9 a.m. on Friday, Sebastian, Pope and Boone counties have yet to issue burn bans despite being under “High” wildfire danger.

What is a burn ban?

A burn ban must be issued by a county’s judge when a county has had dry weather conditions leading to hazardous weather. It stops people from burning yard waste and fireworks due to increased wildfire risks.

If someone doesn’t follow the burn ban, they can face a Class A misdemeanor.

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