Emmett Township Lifts Burn Ban After Rains Sweep Through

For the past few days, Emmett Township authorities have put a ban on burn piles due to the dry conditions in the area.

On Friday morning, however, the rains that have come through Southwest Michigan are prompting the township to lift their burn ban.

In order to stay within the township rules, you need to call the burn permit hotline at 269-425-1737 to get the permit, which only lasts for 24 hours. They also issued the following guidelines for starting fires. 

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1. All open burning requires a verbal or written permit issued to the landowner. Burning permits are good for only the day that it is issued. No permit is required when burning in an approved container or for cooking and campfires as long as they do not exceed a pile 3 feet tall 3 feet wide or 3 feet long.

2. Only grass, leaves, and brush are allowed to be burned. Paper can be burned in a metal or masonry constructed burner . No building materials, hazardous waste or any other material creating unreasonable amounts of smoke or air pollutants may not be burned.

3. Open burning should be conducted between DAWN and DUSK. An open burn should be extinguished completely to ensure smoldering of material does not persist. You are not allowed to burn at night.

4. Common sense precautions, such as having someone watching the fire until it is extinguished and assuring smoke does not impact residences or impair vehicular travel should be followed. Open burning should not obscure visibility or create a traffic hazard on any public road.

5. The Fire Official has the right to prohibit all burning due to periods of smoke dispersion, excessive visibility impairment, or during periods of extreme fire danger where weather conditions that make such fires hazardous or offensive.

6. All open burning shall be at least fifty (50) feet away from any structure. You must have available any necessary equipment to control the burn and to put out the fire if the need arises. You must completely extinguish the fire before leaving it unattended.

7. All piles are to be no larger than five feet in diameter and five feet tall. Only one pile at a time is to be burned. Anyone in violation of the mentioned rules and regulations may be required to extinguish the fire. Continued abuse can result in a fine and/or the loss of any future burn permits being issued to the landowner. You may be responsible for any damage caused by a fire started by your open burning, and may be subject to civil penalties from these damages. If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please press 0 to speak to an on duty firefighter, or contact the Public Safety Department between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.