Calhoun Control dispatched both Station 200 and 300 Fire Departments (Upper West Fork and Arnoldsburg) to the 16,000 block of South Calhoun Highway for a reported home fire. . All units and volunteers arrived on scene to discover, not a home fire but a trash fire in stead.
Units were 10-22’d (canceled) and returned to Station.
According to radio traffic, the residents either did not come out of the home or were not home at the time.
Open burning of most types of household trash and refuse is illegal in West Virginia according to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the West Virginia Division of Forestry.
Specific materials prohibited from open burning include household trash, construction and demolition waste, wood pallets, tires, asbestos materials, and waste paints, oils, and solvents.
While most trash burning is illegal, certain types of open burning are allowed if they don’t cause a nuisance and comply with local rules. These include burning vegetation grown on the premises of a home or farm, campfires, and outdoor barbecues. Open burning of land-clearing debris and approved fire training may be permitted with approval from the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) and adherence to specific guidelines.
Violating the open burning law can lead to penalties such as notices of violation and fines up to $10,000 per day. If a fire spreads and causes damage, the person responsible could be liable for firefighting costs and damages.
During the official forest fire seasons (March 1 to May 31 and October 1 to December 31), open burning is generally restricted to the hours between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. unless a special permit is obtained. It is also important to be aware of local burning ordinances and potential statewide burning bans due to weather.
