Immediate burn ban enacted for all of Oklahoma County

The Oklahoma County Commissioners approved a countywide burn ban effective immediately during Tuesday's meeting.

The resolution, brought by the county's Emergency Management Director David Barnes, puts the ban into effect for the entire county, including all municipalities, for 14 days.

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"By virtue of this resolution, it is unlawful for any person to set fire to any forest, grass, range, crop or other wildlands, or to build a campfire or bonfire, or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass, range, crop, or other wildland fire," the ban states.

District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan said that despite the inconvenience the ban will cause to residents who burn their trash, conditions are currently "extremely dangerous."

Barnes said the county has not needed to enact a burn ban of this scope in a number of years, but it is necessary at this time due to severe drought conditions and increased incidences of wildland fires.

"I do have a consensus of the fire chiefs who I have contacted throughout Oklahoma County," he said.

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The resolution states that the ban can be enforced by any Oklahoma law enforcement officer. Disregarding the burn ban is a misdemeanor and penalties include a fine of up to $500, a one-year sentence, or both, according to the resolution.

The ban will expire Feb. 1 and Barnes said he may initiate a request for a special commissioners meeting to extend it if conditions do not improve. The only exception to the ban is for outdoor cooking in approved appliances "with due caution."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County under immediate burn ban