Haskell County became the latest area county on Monday to issue a burn ban, while a previously issued burn ban in Latimer County was rescinded, according to officials.
County commissioners in Haskell County voted Monday morning to issue a 14-day burn ban.
The burn ban is enforceable by any law enforcement officer in the state. 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.
Latimer County’s Board of Commissioners on Monday voted to extend a previously issued burn ban for another seven days before rescinding it.
According to officials from Latimer County Emergency Management, commissioners lifted the burn ban due to certain criteria not being met.
The Oklahoma Forestry Service states the following criteria must be met before a burn ban can be issued by a county’s board of commissioners:
“County commissioners determine the need with the advice of the county’s fire chiefs. Prior to passage of a burn-ban resolution, the board of county commissioners must declare the existence of extreme fire danger.
As defined in law, extreme fire danger means:
Severe, extreme, or exceptional drought conditions exist within the county as determined by the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)
No more than one-half inch of precipitation is forecast for the next three days by the National Weather Service
Either of the following:
Fire occurrence is significantly greater than normal for the season or initial attack on a significant number of wildland fires has been unsuccessful due to extreme fire behavior
Where data is available, more than 20 percent of the wildfires in the county have been caused by escaped debris burns or controlled burns.”