Burn season opens on Monday

Despite the heat, the odor of wood smoke hangs in the air over Carson Valley, a sure sign that fall burning has begun.

A big agricultural burn between Waterloo and Centerville Lanes prompted a fire call around lunchtime on Wednesday that East Fork firefighters deemed within regulations.

Because not everyone has 40 acres or more of ranch land, burning for most residents is limited to fall and spring.

Open burning in East Fork Fire Protection District starts on Monday and will last until Dec. 22, depending on conditions.

“The district has identified the need to open a fall burn season to assist homeowners with the clean-up of natural vegetative debris and the maintenance of defensible and survivable space,” East Fork Fire Marshal Amy Ray said on Wednesday. “The district requires any persons participating in seasonal open burning to have a current Authorization to Conduct Seasonal Open Burning information sheet with them and at the burn site prior to and during seasonal open burning operations.”

The information sheet isn’t a permit, so much as a means to know the rules and to call the burn line number each day residents plan to burn.

The recording will say weather burning’s permitted, but it doesn’t allow callers to leave a message.

Whether East Fork allows residents to burn is dependent on the weather, and burns occurring when the weather does not permit will be subject to a stop order.

The general seasonal open burn line recording will be changed daily. Burning may start as early as 7 a.m. and go as late as 3 p.m. with all fires completely extinguished by 3:30 p.m.

“After a very dry summer, fuel conditions within the East Fork Fire Protection District remain very volatile, even in the fall and winter, and depending on how much moisture the area got,” Ray said.

Seasonal open burning documents will be available at any fire station within the East Fork Fire Protection District and at the East Fork Fire Protection District’s administrative office located at 1694 County Road. In addition, the regulations may also be downloaded and printed from the East Fork Fire Protection District’s website at www.eastforkfire.org.

For additional information, contact the East Fork Fire Protection District at 775-782-9040.