Monticello, NY – With departments across the region scrambling to contain 31 brush fires in just the last month, Sullivan County Fire Coordinator John Hauschild is re-emphasizing the fact that a burn ban is in effect through May 14. “The snow is gone and temperatures are rising, but vegetation is still dry and easily set aflame by sparks and ash – which is exactly how every one of these brush fires was ignited,” he explained. “There is a statewide ban on open burning through mid-May, and I cannot stress enough the need to follow it – no exceptions.”
For details on the burn ban, visit the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/58519.html.