MINOT – The Ward County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a burn declaration for the summer due to dryness.
“It’s not a burn ban, it’s a fire emergency restriction,” said Rex Weltikol, chief of the Minot Rural Fire Department. “I think a lot of people just call it a ban because we don’t want them to burn at certain times of the year. It’s really dry out there.”
Ward County is currently in a moderate fire danger zone. People can call the department at 701-852-0111 for updates or click the fire department's page which is updated at 7 a.m. every morning.
“If you burn high it starts to get a little dicey,” said Weltikol. “You can use control devices to burn in your backyard with your little fire pit. But no open burning such as fields and things like that.”
The declaration became effective Tuesday and will remain in effect until November unless new moisture affects the dryness and the declaration is terminated.
