By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Open burning will be allowed in St. Joseph starting next month.
St. Joseph Health Educator Stephanie Malita says only burning of limbs, branches and brush is allowed and it needs to be contained
"We need people to keep the contents in a 55-gallon sized container, so it can be an old 55-gallon drum, it can even chicken wire or some kind of mesh that is that same volume," Malita tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post
Malita says someone also needs to watch the fire at all times and keep a source of water nearby in case the fire gets out of control. Only one fire can burn at a time. Burning is allowed between 8am and 6pm
Also, no fires must be within 15 feet of a building. Malita says fires can be unpredictable
"And the weather in this region is unpredictable, so the wind changes and you know maybe some spark gets blown away into a neighbor's yard that's dry, there's a lot of things to take into consideration if you're going to be burning that yard waste," Malita explains.
Malita says if a fire were to occur, be sure to call the fire department
"They have stated, and this has been the case for years, they will come to a yard fire without lights and sirens, unless it's actually involving a structure," Malita says. "They'll ask those questions if you call into the dispatch."
If conditions are not ideal for burning officials will cancel open burning for the day. An announcement will be made online.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.