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At the beginning of this week, the West Virginia Division of Forestry was fighting several dozen active wildfires all over the state. There were 50 in the eight-county Region 4 -- the southern mountains -- alone.
Division of Forestry officials reported they did not have the labor to get to all the fires, but were doing their best to tackle each one as quickly as possible. In fact, State Forester and Director of the WV Division of Forestry Jeremy Jones took to social media Sunday and personally asked "Please do not burn today."
It's an overwhelming job for these men and women trying to protect our land and our communities.
In the midst of this fall/winter fire season, we all can do something to help: Follow the rules.
Starting back on Oct. 1 and continuing through Dec. 31, one rule is simple. Burning is prohibited from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Just don't do it.
Fires during permitted times must have a ring or safety strip cleared of burnable material and at least 10 feet wide. Fires must be attended and fully extinguished when not monitored.
Only vegetative materials such as leaves, brush and yard clippings are permitted to be burnt
Consequences for breaking the rules are that "fines for forest fires due to negligence range from $100 to $1,000 with additional civil penalty of $200."
There are other guidelines. You can find them here: https://wvforestry.com/fire-laws/
But the bottom line is, when we're dealing with a crisis such as the one faced now, just don't burn.
We know the work done by the men and women of the Division of Forestry is not just dangerous, it can be deadly. And they do it to keep the rest of us, and this land we love, safe. Don't make their job harder.
Don't burn. And if you simply must, for goodness sake, follow the rules.