It's too dry to be burning outside

Joe Centers, Norwalk Reflector, Ohio
·2 min read

Nov. 7—MONROEVILLE — It's not quite like the reminder from Smokey the Bear, but there are similarities.

Right now is not the time to burn outside, said Huron River Joint Fire District Chief Curt Stang.

Going back to Smokey, this is how Wikipedia describes him.

Smokey Bear (also sometimes called Smokey the Bear) is a mascot of the United States Forest Service. He was made to teach people that forest fires are dangerous and how people can prevent them. An advertising campaign featuring Smokey was started in 1944 with the slogan, "Smokey Says — Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires." Smokey Bear's later slogan, "Remember ... Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires," was made in 1947 by the Ad Council. In April 2001, the message was changed to "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires." According to the Ad Council, Smokey Bear and his message are recognized by 95% of adults and 77% of children in the U.S.

Stang hopes people remember that the next couple of weeks if they think about having an outside fire.

"We had five of them (grass fires) over the weekend," Stang said. "It's so damn dry out there. Everything is going to take off. Please do not burn.

"Nothing too serious ... the potential is there. More luck than anything else (that it wasn't anything too serious). With the wind like it was Saturday, we were lucky there were no buildings in the way. This could have caused a structure fire ... the potential is there for a structure fire."

It's been such a nice fall, but that has its drawbacks.

"It is unseasonably dry," Stang said. "There were a few showers Saturday night but not too much to do anything. With the wind it has really dried everything up. It is dry enough that we had a lawn burn in the other day. The potential is there for a lot of problems.

"The wind in the country blew a lot of corn fodder around. People want to get rid of it but now is not the time to do it.

"It's gorgeous weather and I am not complaining about that, but people need to be careful. I watched the weather forecast this morning and it is going to get colder, but it is going to remain dry."