BURN BANS & Spring FIRE DANGER!

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING OPEN BURNING IN HEIDELBERG TOWNSHIP

Spring is brush fire season in our region. Area fields are full of dry crop residue, wooded areas are covered in dry leaves and yards haven’t turned green yet. The mixture of low humidity, high winds and plenty of available dry vegetation and debris on the ground to burn can make for a very dangerous situation. The Township monitors weather conditions daily and may place a temporary restriction on burning until conditions improve.

*Please be aware that while Spring is historically the most common time of year for burn bans, they can be enacted at any time as a result of drought or other weather related events.

Burn bans are enacted EVERY TIME a Fire Danger Weather Related Warning is issued for our area by the National Weather Service. These notices include the following:

-Fire Weather Watch

-Enhanced Threats for Fire Spread

-Red Flag Warnings

Burn bans apply to all open fires! For more information regarding regulations for burning including acceptable items to burn, hours of burning, setbacks, etc. please review the Township’s Burn Ordinance by clicking here.

Ways that you can find out if a burn ban is in effect:

-Contact the Lehigh County 911 Center, Non-emergency # 610-437-5252

(Note: Per Twp. Ord. All open burns must be reported to the County 911 Center via this #)

-Contact the Township office at 610-767-9297 during normal business hours

-Sign-up for weather alerts from the National Weather Service. If an alert is issued related to fire weather in our Township then open burning is prohibited during the times specified in the alert.

Thank you for your help keeping our township and first responders safe!

From the DCNR Website: The greatest danger of wildfires in Pennsylvania occurs during the spring months of March, April, and May, and the autumn months of October and November. In Pennsylvania, 99 percent of all wildfires are caused by people.

Certain conditions are necessary for a wildfire to occur:

• An available fuel source, such as dried grass or leaves
• Dry conditions, including low relative humidity
• An ignition source — some way for the fire to start

The first two factors occur most frequently in Pennsylvania during spring and autumn. As the spring sun climbs higher in the sky, days become longer and warmer.

The trees are bare during this time, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor, warming the ground, and drying surface fuels.

Coupled with strong and dry spring winds, this leads to a tremendous amount of combustible fuels.