Pitt County Officials Rescind Burning Ban

By: Press Release | WNCT
Published: January 02, 2008

Pitt County - On October 15, 2007, Pitt County Emergency Management and the North Carolina Forest Service issued a county wide burning ban for Pitt County. The burning ban was established due to the extremely dry weather conditions that increased the threat of outdoor vegetation related fire.

Effective Wednesday, January 02, 2008, at 5:00 p.m., Emergency Management and Forest Service officials have temporarily rescinded the burning ban for Pitt County. Based on the recent weather conditions, the threat of increased outdoor related fire has been reduced. The ban on open burning could be reinstated if the potential for wildfire activity increases because the state continues to receive below normal rainfall coupled with above average temperatures and increased wildfire activity. Officials will continue to monitor the potential fire threat.

If people burn leaves and other vegetative materials they should take the same precautions they would have if it had not rained because fires can easily escape and become dangerous. Some important rules to follow if you burn include:

Open burning may include burning leaves, branches and other plant material. It is illegal to burn trash, lumber, tires, newspapers, plastics or non-vegetative materials.

Outdoor burning is prohibited in areas covered by Code Orange or Code Red air quality forecasts.

Make sure you have a valid burning permit.

Follow local laws on debris burning.

Check the weather. Don’t burn on dry, windy days.

Be prepared before burning. Keep fire tools available. To control a fire, you will need a garden hose, a bucket, a steel rake, and a shovel for tossing dirt on the fire. Never use kerosene, gasoline, diesel fuel or other flammable liquids to speed burning.

Always stay with the fire until it has been extinguished.

Pitt County Emergency Management and the Forest Service would like to thank the fire departments that responded and assisted with open burning calls during the burning ban. Also, thanks to the citizens of Pitt County for their compliance with open burning during the recent burning ban.