Burn ban in effect

Despite a burn ban that went into effect at 8 a.m. Friday, firefighters have dealt with a couple of outdoor fires throughout the county over the weekend. While none of them caused damage to any buildings or people, the potential is still there for disastrous effects.

“Yesterday, we had a fire that went from two acres to 20 acres in a matter of minutes,” said Cody Ake, NC Forest Service ranger for Sampson County. “It threatened a couple of structures, but we were able to contain it.”

In other words, fires can spread fast — especially under the dry conditions the area is experiencing. And while there were a few showers on Friday, it wasn’t nearly enough to cause the burn ban to be rescinded, Ake said. “There is a little bit of moisture underneath the grass, but it will still burn,” he explained. “The plants are starting to green up, but there is still not enough moisture to keep fires from spreading quickly.”

Those wishing to burn their brush piles should just hold off until the weather isn’t so dry, Ake advised. “The biggest thing is, if you want to burn, hold off until we get a day’s or even a couple days’ worth of rain and the surface material is able to hold in the moisture. You may have branches in your burn pile and think it’s ready to go, but the grass near it isn’t holding in the moisture. All it takes is a gust of wind for it to take off.”

The North Carolina Forest Service issued the ban on all open burning and canceled all burning permits statewide effective Friday morning until further notice. Locally, Sampson County also implemented a burn ban, signed by Fire Marshal Prentice Madgar and County Commission Chair Allen McLamb. The bans were issued late Thursday afternoon.

“This ban on outdoor burning shall be implemented in conjunction with the burning ban issued by the North Carolina Forest Service and shall remain in effect until the state-issued burning ban is lifted,” a press release from Sampson County government stated. “All areas not subject to the burning ban issued by the Forestry Service shall be included in this proclamation.”

The release went on to specify that “all areas of Sampson County” are included in the outdoor burning ban.

That means that even though the state ban allows burning within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling, the county ban does not, Ake said. “There should be no burning whatsoever,” he said. “And that is in effect until further notice.”

The bans were issued, mostly due to wildfires in western North Carolina. “After Helene came through, they’re now all dried out, and they’ve got three fires spanning 100 acres,” Ake said. “If these dry conditions continue, those fires are going to spread. This ban is to help prevent that from happening.”

While the city of Clinton doesn’t have as many woods fires as the more rural areas of the county, Fire Chief Hagan Thornton said Monday there had been three or four incidents over the weekend.

“There’s some people that think, ‘It’s a good day to burn so I’ll burn,’” Ake said. “But that comes at a cost.”

Those who violate the burn ban will face a $100 fine, plus $183 in court costs. With a total of $283 for violating the ban, folks may want to think twice before burning yard debris or setting fire to anything else outdoors. “People need to realize that there are repercussions to their actions,” Ake said.