Kanawha County asks state officials for burn ban

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – The Kanawha County Commission is requesting a burn ban due to the hazardously dry weather conditions due to the ongoing drought.

The commissioners say they have sent West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Division of Forestry requesting a burn ban be put in effect for Kanawha County. They say the extreme drought has left the area with dry vegetation and dry, brittle leaves on the ground that could easily catch fire.

“Thank goodness we had a little rain this morning, but it’s gonna get dry again. So the concern is it dries out, more leaves are falling, get some windy weather – we could have some potential problems,” said C.W. Sigman, Kanawha County Emergency Management Director.

The National Weather Service states there is minimal rain in the forecast for this week, and conditions will be dry again by the end of this week, leading to an increased fire danger in the area. This weekend, fire officials were in eastern Kanawha County fighting a brush fire that broke out Saturday evening between Quincy and Shrewsbury on the Shrewsbury side of the mountain.

While a ban has not been put in place just yet, the commission is urging people to avoid burning this week and to take precautions such as making sure cigarettes are fully out before disposal. They also say that burning trash is illegal in Kanawha County, and should not happen.

“So if somebody’s outside and they’re smoking a cigarette and they throw it down, we’re asking to make sure that the cigarettes are out. That if you are outside burning campfires, whatever, that it is controlled. You can’t be leaving it unattended,” said Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango.

Several counties in Ohio are also under a burn ban announced by the Ohio State Fire Marshal on Sept. 6. Those counties include Gallia, Jackson (OH), Meigs, Scioto, and Vinton counties in our region, along with nearby counties of Athens, Hocking, Pike and Ross counties.

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