Fire Season Starts Soon

With the rain falling today, it’s hard to believe but we are getting set to enter fire season in the state of Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry, fire season starts on Oct. 15 and lasts through May 15 each year. Once we get into fire season, permits will be needed to burn things such as piles of leaves and debris. Burn permits are only issued when safe burns can be conducted. You can get a burn permit easily by going online to www.burnsafetn.org. The Department of Agriculture says for larger fires such as land-clearing fires, people should contact the Division of Forestry at 877-350-2676…Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Burning without a permit can lead to a Class C misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine. Arson wildfires are a Class C felony which is punishable by three to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.