Burn ban put into effect in Kosciusko County Wednesday night
UPDATE: After a good amount of rain fell over the weekend and Monday, many counties -- including St. Joseph, Kosciusko, Fulton, and Marshall -- have lifted their bans.
"The St. Joseph County Commissioners rescinded last weeks issued county wide burn ban today," said St. Joseph County Emergency Management Agency Director Al Kirsits. "Numerous Indiana counties are also doing this, including Marshall, Fulton and Kosciusko in our area. It should be noted that local enacted county and city ordinances banning burning are still in effect."
As of 3 p.m. on Sept. 24, La Porte, Starke, and Pulaski Counties still have burn bans in effect.
ORIGINAL: KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. -- Residents of Kosciusko County were advised on Wednesday night that the entire county entered into a burn ban, likely due to the long stretch of hot, dry weather in the area.
According to the 2014 Indiana Fire Code, "The fire chief is authorized to require open burning be immediately discontinued if such open burning constitutes a hazardous condition."
Indiana law states that the local fire chief or local municipality that orders or imposes a burn ban is responsible for determining what activities will be permitted or restricted, who will enforce the ban and how long the restrictions will last.
Officials say county leaders consider several factors when making the decision to issue a burn ban including soil conditions, relative humidity, and wind speeds.
Marshall and Fulton Counties are also currently under burn bans.
