The Lexington Fire Department issued a 48-hour burn ban on Thursday because dry windy weather is creating hazardous fire conditions in Fayette County.
That’s according to the National Weather Service and Battalion Chief Joe Best with the Lexington Fire Department. “We just want to air on the side of caution. Typically burn bans are issued for cleaning up construction debris or cleaning up your property like removing brush. None of those things are pressing in nature, so just to be cautious we want to eliminate that as a potential ignition source during this time.”
The ban includes a temporary suspension of burn permits, backyard fire pits and campground fires and is in effect until 3:00 Saturday afternoon. “We’re expecting rain Saturday and of course that will change everything. Until then we’re asking everyone to keep from starting any outdoor fires.” Best tells us that a ban may seem strange with the level of recent rain in the commonwealth this spring but that a lot of vegetation still hasn’t bloomed, making it easy to ignite especially in windy conditions.