This fall we have seen many cities issue burn bans while the county it is in has not, so how do you know if you are under one?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The extremely dry weather doesn’t show any signs of ending and it’s leading to elevated fire danger. This fall we have seen many cities issue burn bans while the county it is in has not, so how do you know if you are under a burn ban?
On Monday, Brian Lowe the Murfreesboro fire marshal put his city under a burn ban. The burn ban prohibits knowingly starting an open-air fire outside. The ban is in effect until conditions improve.
If you go to the burn bans page on the Tennessee Division of Forestry’s website it doesn’t have Rutherford County or any county in Tennesee under a burn ban.
According to Megan Carpenter the communications leader for the Tennessee Division of Forestry this is normal.
Carpenter said the city-wide burn ban must be followed whether or not the county is under a burn ban.
“So far there are no county-level burn bans. Local municipalities can issue their own restrictions and when those restrictions are in place they trump the division of forestry’s rules. If Murfreesboro says don’t burn then folks should not be burning regardless of whether or not the Tennessee Division of Forestry has restrictions in that area” said Carpenter.
To know if your county is under a burn ban you can go here.
To know if your city or municipality is under a burn ban you can call your city or fire department. You can also check the social media pages of your local city fire department.
Carpenter said with the drought conditions and extremely dry forecast you should make sure you are not under a burn ban before burning a fire of any size.
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