Persistent extreme heat and drought conditions led the Washita County Commissioners to issue a burn ban for the county in Monday morning’s board meeting.
Per Oklahoma statute, burn bans may be issued when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declares that severe, extreme, or exceptional drought conditions exist, no more than one-half inch of rain is forecast for the next three days, at least twenty percent of fire occurrences in the county have been cause by escaped debris or controlled burning, and temperature for any day over the next three days are forecasted at or over one hundred degrees.
Local Fire Chiefs must also agree that a period of extreme fire danger exists.
The burn ban is effective for up to fourteen days from the date of passage unless conditions change and all parties agree that the ban can be lifted.
If extreme fire danger conditions persist, subsequent passage of the ban may be issued every fourteen days in the same manner it was first approved.
Citizens are prohibited from setting fire to any grass or range land, burning trash or other material, and creating an open flame of any kind, such as a campfire or bonfire.
Any person found to be in violation of the burn ban will be guilty of a misdemeanor and will be subject to a fine of up to $500 and a possibility of up to a year of jail time.