Don't Burn!

Higher than Average Fire Danger
With dry conditions continuing and no relief in sight for now we asked Newaygo County's Emergency Services Director Abby Watkins for a little info on helping all of us prevent any blaze driven disasters and Ms. Watkins sent along the following vital information.

To date, fire danger has been higher than average this year. With warm temperatures and less-than-normal rainfall over a sizeable portion of Lower Michigan in the last 30 days, the ground has dried out. Warm, dry, and sometimes breezy weather this week will increase the risk for wildfires. Very high fire danger conditions exists across all of Newaygo County with no open burning permitted.

Newaygo County has already experienced one significant, large fire this year. In order to prevent another, the following is some information everyone should know:

• 90% of all grass and wildfires are started by humans, with a majority of the top fire causes being debris burning, equipment failures, and campfires.
• According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in 2017, forty-five percent of fires occurred on days with a “high” fire danger rating.
• Always check the DNR’s website to see if burn permits are being issued, before you burn http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/burnpermits/
• Burn permits cover open burning, which is the burning of unwanted materials such as paper, tress, brush, leaves, grass, and other debris. For more information on open burning   
  
• ​https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-aqd-open-burning-brochure_273553_7.pdf
• Never burn on High, Very High, or Extreme Fire Danger days
• You are responsible for all damages resulting from the escape of a fire

With fire dangers at an extremely high level, public safety officials are requesting the public to please be cognizant of the burning restrictions. “We have received multiple calls in the past few days for outdoor fires that have been caused by burn barrels, down power lines, and other various sources,” stated Newaygo County Central Dispatch Director Jason Wolford. Please contact Newaygo County Central Dispatch at 231-689-5288 to report any illegal burning.