Area residents who are just “burning” to incinerate their old yard waste will need to wait a bit longer to get the permission they need from state and local authorities.
This weekend, the N.C. Forest Service announced that Alamance and 18 other counties will remain under a state-issued ban on open burning that had been in effect across North Carolina since March 28.
According to the state agency, recent rainfall has allowed residents in North Carolina’s other 81 counties to resume burning out in the open as long as they obtain a proper permit from their county governments.
Those in Alamance and other similarly-situated counties will be unable to apply for these permits – as Steve Troxler, the state’s commissioner of agriculture, explained in a news release on Saturday.
“If you’re in one of the 19 counties still under the state-issued burn ban,” Troxler declared, “be patient and hold off on burning. We need more rain in your area to lift the ban. With the persistent drought, it’s important for all of us to use extreme caution when handling potential ignition sources such as machinery and motorized equipment.”
In the 81 counties no longer under the interdict, permits for open burning became available at 8:00 a.m. Sunday. The N.C. Forest Service stresses that the ban remains in force, until further notice, in Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes and Union counties.
[Check back for updates. Forecast for rain may change status in coming days.]
