REGION — To enhance fire safety and prevent wildfires, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry [DACF] is implementing a new law mandating burn permits for larger campfires.
The new law, LD 24 which went into effect Wednesday, Oct. 25, will impact fires that exceed three feet in height and three feet in diameter that are not for debris disposal. Permits for burning brush and wood debris are still required under the existing regulations.
The new law also makes it unlawful for burning outdoors during red flag warning days.
“Red flag warnings are issued when warm temperatures, very low relative humidity and stronger winds are expected to produce an increased risk of fire danger,” according to Maine Forest Service [MFS]. “It also informs the public, firefighters and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire combustion and rapid spread. The National Weather Service in conjunction with MFS issues the warnings.”
Maine residents and visitors planning fires larger than the specified dimensions, often referred to as “bonfires,” will be required to obtain burn permits. These permits are available free of charge and can be secured online after 9 a.m. at maineburnpermit.com. They are also available at local fire departments.
This new regulation aims to mitigate the risk of larger campfires getting out of control and causing wildfires. By requiring permits for this type of fire, the state hopes to ensure fire safety measures are in place, reducing the potential for fire-related emergencies.
“There haven’t been that many instances where campfires have gotten out of control,” Farmington Fire Rescue Chief TD Hardy said Wednesday, Oct. 25. “There has been a lot of confusion about what classifies a campfire. The new law references the size allowed. That is a big benefit.”
Farmington Fire Rescue gets a lot of calls, questions about what can be done, Hardy said. People often want to have a small campfire even when the fire danger is high, he stated. There are more people out camping, fixing their property saying they are having a campfire but are burning leaves, he said.
“It has always been a gray area,” he noted. “This does solve a lot of that.”
Fires can become a nuisance for neighbors when smoke fills their home, Hardy added.
“It has been a really rainy summer, so wildfire numbers are lower than they often are,” Kent Nelson, forest ranger specialist with Maine Forest Service said in a telephone interview Tuesday, Oct. 24. Tightening up the law should help keep fires from getting out of control as they are hard to put out and can worry neighbors, he noted.
In May a transient trying to ward off mosquitoes started a half acre woods fire in the remote area between the Whistle Stop Trail in West Farmington and the Irving Big Stop on Wilton Road.
“Over 92% of wildfires in Maine are caused by humans,” Nelson wrote in a later email to The Franklin Journal. “Please keep in mind that Maine has a significant increase in people building homes and camps [vacation homes] within the wildland urban interface [WUI – the areas where the homes meet the forest]. As this trend continues, we are likely to have more wildfires that threaten, damage and destroy homes. The more people and homes in these WUI areas, the more human-caused fires.”
Nelson provided data for wildfires in Franklin County over the last five years which showed:
• Three arson fires burning 4.3 acres.
• 12 campfires, 3.7 acres.
• Four started by children, 0.6 acres.
• 34 debris burns, 23 acres.
• Seven equipment use fires, 3.41 acres.
• Three caused by lightning, 1.2 acres.
• 10 miscellaneous causes, 4.8 acres.
• Nine power line fires, 2.3 acres.
• One caused from smoking, 0.1 acre.
• Two structure fires, 0.5 acre.
According to the data, there were 85 fires in Franklin County in the last five years which burned 44.11 acres.
“With climate change, we are also seeing more extreme weather patterns such as the droughts that occurred in 2020,” Nelson noted. “That year, the annual amount of wildfires nearly tripled our five year average.”
“Despite the low fire occurrence in Franklin County, we encourage homeowners to clear brush and small wood debris near their structures,” Nelson urged.
MFS notes, “By definition a recreational campfire means an outdoor fire used for cooking, personal warm, light, ceremonial or aesthetic purposed that is not a part of debris disposal [also known as burning brush]. A residential fire contained within an outdoor fireplace also falls into this category.”
Burning of plastic, rubber, Styrofoam, metals, food wastes, chemicals, treated woods or other solid waste is prohibited, according to MFS.
From MFS, Smokey Bear reminds people to “Keep the fire small, not tall.” That way it can be extinguished quickly if weather conditions change. People should also have water and a shovel available to help put out the fire.
According to MFS, recommended safe campfire areas should include a two foot maximum area which has a six inch sand or gravel base, enclosed by a fire ring constructed of fire resistant material and anchored. There should be a minimum of eight feet cleared down to mineral soil around the fire area, which should be cleared of limbs and burnable combustibles at least ten feet above the fireplace. Campfires should be constructed on flat ground away from nearby structures and all fires must be extinguished before leaving the area.
If planning to burn outside, the MFS daily fire danger rating is available at www.mainefireweather.org.
For additional information and updates regarding the new open burning law in Maine, follow the Maine Forest Rangers and DACF Facebook pages. Nelson may be reached at 207-287-4989.
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