RALEIGH – The 26-county burn ban enacted May 24 prohibits fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices. With nearly half the state in moderate drought status and little rain in the forecast, N.C. Forest Service officials urge North Carolinians statewide to be cautious and to avoid unnecessary risk with fire.
Due to increased fire risk, the N.C. Forest Service has issued a ban on all open burning and has canceled all burning permits for the following North Carolina counties: Anson, Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland and Wayne.
“Fireworks and holiday weekends are often enjoyed together, but using fireworks during a drought can be disastrous,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Forest Service personnel are already battling multiple wildfires, some new and others ongoing, in southeastern North Carolina.
There is a little bit of rain in the forecast, and we’ll keep an eye on that, looking for significant improvement in those drought conditions. Until then, fireworks are not a risk we can take in those 26 counties currently under the burn ban, and we strongly urge anyone outside those counties to think twice about using fireworks this weekend.”
Since the burn ban took effect, the N.C. Forest Service has responded to more than 70 wildfires, some, but not all, occurring in burn-ban counties.
For more information about the current 26-county burn ban, visit https://www.ncforestservice.gov/news_pubs/newsdesk_2021.htm#05242021. To track daily wildfire activity and emergency response in North Carolina, visit https://www.ncforestservice.gov/fire_control/sit_report.htm.
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