Goochland Fire reminds of statewide burn law after responding to 8 weekend brush fires - 8News

GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A statewide burn ban goes into effect Tuesday, following a busy weekend fighting brush fires for Goochland crews.

Goochland firefighters battled eight brush fires over the weekend. Doug Davies, the county’s fire marshal, said the weather conditions made them spread uncontrollably.

“The winds kicked up and carried the fire and caused it to spread,” he said.

The high volume of fire calls has crews reminding residents of Virginia’s statewide burn ban. The law is in effect from February 15 to April 30. It bans open air burning before 4 p.m., and if the fire is within 300 feet of the woods or dry grass.

“Every once in a while, we’ll have some that get away from us, but that’s got to be very cognizant of the weather,” said Davies. “When we have wind, high wind days, sustained winds it’s going to cause those fires to get out of control like it did this past weekend.”

The 8News Stormtracker8 Meteorologist Team said when the conditions in the air and ground are dry, the chance of fire increases.

Davies said Goochland residents burn debris and trash everyday, but anyone burning a pile larger than eight feet long by eight feet wide in the county needs a permit.

“With the storm that we just had, created a lot of debris so we have a lot of extra burning than we normally do this time of year,” he said.

Davies also said there is an alternative for getting rid of all that debris, like dropping it off at convenience centers.

The county’s centers have extended free drop off rates since the last storm cleanup.

source: https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/goochland-fire-reminds-of-statewide-burn-law-after-responding-to-8-weekend-brush-fires/

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