McCurtain County commissioners on Monday passed an emergency resolution authorizing a county burn ban, effective immediately.
Eighteen of the county’s 21 fire departments had requested such a ban, along with the U.S. Forest Service and state Forestry, commissioners said.
Any law enforcement in the county can enforce a burn ban. Violating it is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
County Emergency Management director Jerry Falling was at the meeting and said it is “absolutely” needed. He said a recent fire in the Hochatown area, accidentally started by a contractor, occurred near some cabins, and the county was only a whiff of wind away from what could have been a major catastrophe.
The fire burned about 100 acres.
A county-issued burn ban is effective for up to 14 days, but can be extended if extreme conditions persist. Currently, the central part of the county is under severe drought, according to the government’s U.S. Drought Monitor.
In other business, commissioners voted to move one county highway fund employee from each commissioner district to the county’s general fund.
This move allows all county road employees to receive the same $200-per-month raise as all other county employees, without reducing the funds currently used for county roads.
