Latimer County became the first area county to issue a burn ban.
According to the resolution passed by Latimer County Commissioners, the burn ban is effective immediately and is in effect for seven days.
The resolution states the situation has been verified “by a documented concurrent of the majority of the county commissioners and rural fire chiefs.”
“Latimer County currently has high winds and extreme fire danger and all Latimer County Fire Department chiefs agree to this fire ban,” the resolution states.
The resolution prohibits any person “to set fire to any forest, grass, range, crop, or other wildlands, or to build a campfire or bonfire, or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass, range, crop, or other wild lands fire.”
Exemptions are made for equipment related to road construction projects, welding/cutting torch/grinding activities, and outdoor cooking using natural gas and charcoal if certain precautions are followed.
Any law enforcement agency can enforce the ban. Any person convicted of a violation of a county-issued burn ban is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.