According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, restrictions on outdoor burning activities or "burn bans" can be ordered by any local fire chief for his or her jurisdiction, or they may be imposed by the legislative body of a city, town or county. While the Indiana State Fire Marshal does not declare local burn bans, the Fire Marshal supports local efforts to reduce the fire risk escalated by dry weather.
County leaders consider several factors when making the decision to issue a burn ban.
- Soil conditions
- Relative humidity
- Wind speeds
The Pulaski County order declares that, effective immediately, the following activities are prohibited in Pulaski County:
- Open burning of any kind using conventional fuel such as wood, or other combustible material, with the exception of grills fueled by charcoal briquettes or propane (charcoal from permitted grill shall not be removed from the grills until the charcoal has been thoroughly extinguished);
- The burning of debris, such as timber or vegetation, including such debris that results from building construction activities.
To report a violation of the burn ban, please contact the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department.
If conditions improve due to significant rainfall, the Pulaski County Commissioners will rescind the burn ban and again permit the above activities.
A statewide map of counties that have issued burn bans is available at in.gov/dhs/burnban. This map will be updated once Pulaski County has returned to a normal burning status. Further updates will also be posted to the Pulaski County App, the Pulaski County EMA Facebook page and will be sent to local media.
- Report issued by Richel Fox, EMA Director, Pulaski County