LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is urging residents to take care when burning yard debris, enjoying camp fires or other outdoor activities this Spring, especially those that include heat or gas-powered engines.
According to the DNR, debris burning is the number one cause of wildfires in Michigan, some of which have already scorched Lower Michigan landscapes, including a 432-acre fire in the state’s Thumb region.
“Everybody wants to get out and clean up their yard, but it’s important check conditions before burning and to understand how dry these fuels on the ground are,” said Paul Rogers, fire prevention specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Some safety tips offered by the DNR include placing charcoal grills on a hard surfaces such as a concrete driveway rather than on lawns, where a spark or loose coal could ignite dry grass,
and keep an eye out while using chainsaws and lawn mowers, because a spark from the blade could start a fire.
Others include taking care when using all-terrain vehicles, lawn mowers or other outdoor machinery because the heat from a lawn mower or the exhaust pipe of an ATV can ignite dry grass, and never leaving any fire unattended, even for a moment before making sure all debris and campfires are fully extinguished before leaving the area.
The DNR says that open burning is allowed where the ground is still snow-covered. Otherwise, a free burn permit is required. Burn permits in the southern Lower Peninsula are issued by local fire departments and government offices. In the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, residents can check the map at Michigan.gov/BurnPermit to see if debris and open burning is permitted in their counties.
