The Manor Township Board of Supervisors listened as Fire Chief Chad Evans discussed concerns over brush fires at last night’s meeting.
Brush fires have been on the rise in various parts of the county as a result of recent weather conditions. Manor Township Fire Chief Chad Evans voiced concerns at last night’s supervisors’ meeting.
Manor Township Fire Chief Chad Evans says that if a brush fire causes damage to adjacent properties, the person who started the fire could be liable for damages.
“For the past week, brush fires have been running rampant,” Evans said. “There was a red flag issued from the Forest Fire Warden and the Fire Chief and Township supervisors. We are encouraging everyone not to burn. Even after the rain comes in on Thursday, conditions are still favorable for a rapid spread of wildfire. With the humidity being low and the winds picking up, we could have some issues.”
Supervisor Chairman Don Palmer agreed with Evans.
“Brush fire season is here. Grass fire season is here. People are losing their houses all over the place because the fires are getting into their houses. Obviously, the person starting the fire can be held responsible if you cause a fire that damaged someone else’s property,” Palmer said.
“If it burns down their house, or hurts one of the fire fighters, you can be held responsible for that,” Evans continued. “When everyone else starts coming in and handing out little papers to pay, DEP will soon follow because they are going to look through what you were burning to see if there was anything they can write you on. Everyone wants their money,” Evans said.
Supervisor Tag Hecker told of one unfortunate incident in Bethel Township.
“A person was burning trash 100 yards away, walked in the house, and the leaves caught on fire. It worked its way up and caught the whole trailer on fire,” Hecker related.
The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) website said there were currently no burn bands currently in place in Pennsylvania.
Shannon Hefrin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said the “red flags” that indicate no burning areas are primarily in the State College area of Pennsylvania.
“People are talking about red flag warnings to curtail burning. We are not going to issue one in our area, but we are having low humidity and high winds, which have the potential for some hazardous fires. We are telling people not to do it right now, even though the red flag hasn’t been posted. Since we had some rain in the past couple of days, it will help us,” Hefrin said.
DCNR’s website said that local municipalities and county officials could place restrictions on burning that are unique to that municipality, such as Manor Township. Most wildfires occur in March, April, and May as weather changes dry out ground cover.
