Fire danger: Look, it is easy -- do not burn anything, period

It is amazing how many people look at the rules and decide that, obviously, they were meant for other people.

And this week, there are likely to be plenty of landowners in Wayne County and around the area who will determine that they know how to handle their open burning -- and that the warning by the state that they should not burn was not meant for them.

And, therefore, it is also likely that firefighters across the state will be battling more blazes and more of the state's forests and homes will be lost.

So, here it is in black and white and simple.

The conditions right now are ripe for wildfires. The dry ground and the high winds are exactly the conditions that foster out-of-control blazes.

You might get lucky. You might be able to pull off your garbage burning with little or no incident -- other than a possible citation for violating the rules. You might be just fine and your home might OK if you toss your coals down on the ground near your house.

And then again, you might do everything right. You might have water at the ready and a safe distance cleared between you and adjoining structures.

You might have burned a thousand times before with no incident.

And this time, you might miss a spark and light a fire that could destroy your home and threaten your neighborhood.

A warning like this is issued for a reason.

Challenging it is simply not worth the risk.

Published in Editorials on February 21, 2011 10:38 AM