The Bladen County Fire Marshal’s Office and N.C. Forestry Service issued a countywide burn ban Saturday evening.
The local ban was in conjunction with a statewide ban that began at 6 p.m. Saturday and the cancellation of all burning permits until future notice.
The directive from the Bladen Fire Marshal’s Office includes no open burning, no burn piles, no debris burning and no yard waste fires, including a ban on burning within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling. The state does not oversee burning without 100 feet of an occupied dwelling.
The current high risk of fire spread necessitates this ban to protect the community, according to the Bladen Fire Marshal’s Office, and non-adherence may incur fines and legal consequences.
“With drought severity across the state, forecast fire weather and the potential for limited rainfall, it is critical to reduce the number of new fire starts,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Vegetative fuels will dry rapidly, and with the amount of fuel loading in the mountains and drought impacts statewide, a burn ban for all 100 counties is necessary to reduce the number of wildfires across our landscape. Please follow this burn ban to help reduce the risk for everyone.”
The N.C. Forest Service will continue to monitor conditions. Residents with questions regarding a specific county can contact their N.C. Forest Service county ranger or the Bladen County Fire Marshal Kenneth Clark at 910-862-6755 or [email protected].
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