NEWS RELEASE
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
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Though it’s warmer out and everyone is eager to clean up the yard, please call or go online to check for a permit before you start burning yard debris.
“We’re asking people to limit outdoor burning later today and throughout the weekend due to higher temperatures, lower humidity and gusty winds,” said Jeff Vasher, resource protection manager for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
That’s especially true for areas of the state south of Grayling, where gusts of up to 20 miles per hour are expected in late afternoon and into the evening and could reach 40 miles per hour on Saturday.
Grass and leaves – even those that spent the winter under a blanket of snow – are very dry, and rain showers expected tonight won’t make much difference in how fast they can burn out of control.
“Even if there is rain tonight it will dry out fast because all of the vegetation is dead from the winter,” Vasher said. He recommends waiting until grass turns green before doing any burning of yard waste, if possible.
Nine out of 10 wildfires in Michigan are caused by people, and escaped yard debris burning is the top cause. If you intend to burn, go to Michigan.gov/BurnPermit or call 866-922-BURN to see if weather conditions safely allow it. In the southern Lower Peninsula, contact your local fire department or municipal government to see if it’s safe to burn.
Always remember these safety tips:
- Fire danger vastly increases when weather turns windy. Windborne embers can travel far and fast, turning a small fire into a large one.
- If you are building a campfire or bonfire, keep it within a contained pit or ring and make sure you thoroughly put out the fire before you leave it. That means dousing the fire with water, stirring the ashes and dousing again.
- Whenever you burn, keep a hose or another water source on hand and keep an eye out for flying embers.
- For more fire safety tips, information and resources, visit Michigan.gov/FireManagement.
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