As catastrophic fires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area, it just so happens that today is the start of "open-burning season" here in Massachusetts. That's when folks in many communities can get permits to burn some brush and forest debris.
There are a lot of restrictions on this and officials are urging residents to follow local and state rules to prevent wildfires. Those who burn unlawfully or allow a fire to grow out of control may have to pay firefighting costs and other fines — or even face jail time.
To learn more, we turn to Jake Wark, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.
Jake Wark, Massachusetts Department of Fire Services: So, open burning season runs from January 15 through May 1 in Massachusetts, and that's in the communities where it's allowed. In many of the more densely built cities and towns, open burning is not permitted at any time of the year. And that's primarily for safety and environmental reasons.
We want to make sure that the air quality is good and clear for ourselves and our neighbors. But we also want to make sure that we don't have outdoor fires that could spread to buildings, homes and the natural environment.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: And lead to devastation like what's happening in California. And here in western Mass., those communities that prohibit open burning include Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield and West Springfield.
That's correct.
So, in the remaining communities, there is a season and legal ways to burn. You can't just burn what is lying in your yard.
That's exactly right. So, you know, last fall in Massachusetts, we saw outdoor fires that spread very rapidly, became very large, very quickly, and became impossible for residents to control and became very difficult for fire departments to control.
And that's what we want to prevent each year during open burning season. We want folks to be careful. And we want them to burn the right materials, right? Not burning garbage, not burning construction debris, things like that.
This is more for the yard waste that you're pruning from trees and bushes. Not for burning leaves or burning grass, because those burn very quickly, and the embers that they put off can easily be carried by the wind, fall down somewhere else and start a fire there.
So the local authority who would issue an open burning permit is your local fire department. And that's who people should be reaching out to to get a permit. Are there reasons that they might not issue a burning permit to someone?
The local fire chief always has discretion over when a fire permit may or may not be issued. And one of the factors that they're certainly able to take into account is the staffing on a given day at a given time.
No one wants a fire going out of control when they know that they just don't have the firefighting resources to tackle it. And that's one of the reasons that the fire code gives fire chiefs such authority over permits on open burning and other open flames and fire-related hazards.
Any top tips for people who are going into this for the first time?
Sure. As with any fire, you want to make sure that an adult is present and attending to it at all times. You never want to leave an outdoor fire burning unattended.
It's best to start with a small amount at a time, and add a little bit more as you go, rather than trying to burn a big pile. You know, a burning bonfire has a much greater chance of growing out of control, with embers flying and igniting fuel sources elsewhere.
And you never want to use an accelerant like gasoline or kerosene or other ignitable liquids, because the vapors from those liquids can cause what's known as a flash fire. The vapor ignites, and it has actually caused burn injuries to the person who's standing close to the fire.
And if the wind changes, get ready to put that fire out right away. Winds are a significant factor in the Los Angeles wildfires that we're seeing right now. And they were a major factor during the fall fires here in Massachusetts last year. So you want to be carefully attuned to the wind and the direction and the speed of those winds.
With our winds that are bringing temperatures down into the subfreezing range and with very little snow on the ground, I imagine garden hoses that are going to be out at the burning site will be frozen. How should homeowners plan to step in and contain these fires?
That's a great point. You do want to make sure that you have extinguishing tools close by and close at hand when you're burning outdoors. And that could be a garden hose, but it could also be a bucket of water, a rake, a shovel, the tools to rake over and and pour dirt onto a fire.
And remember, you want those fires to be relatively small — keeping them small by adding a little bit at a time, rather than having a big rager out there.
