Local communities under emergency burn ban | News, Sports, Jobs

By GERRY RICCIUTTI

Special for the Magazine

(WKBN) – Although the state of Ohio has a ban on daytime open burning through the end of this month, some communities in Columbiana County are extending the ban.

Both the villages of East Palestine and New Waterford, along with Unity Township, have issued emergency bans on all burning through at least this weekend.

This comes after the National Weather Service issued a special weather advisory Monday warning of a high risk of wildfire spread across much of the Valley.

East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick said there are still options for residents who want to get rid of all the leaves on the ground.

“You know, many retailers sell bags. Some municipalities provide bags for you to put your leaves in. You can package your leaves and throw them in the trash. “Some municipalities will even buy them if you put them in a bag,” he said. he said.

Drabick said residents could be fined for violating the ban, but he doesn’t intend to just issue citations.

“This is about the safety of our residents and, you know, making sure we can keep everything under control and not have a situation where… someone gets hurt or… there’s a big fire that shuts down security. “We have been serving for a long time.” he said.

The chief said the ban will remain in place until weather conditions improve, requiring very low humidity and high winds, and reduce the danger of wild and brush fires spreading.

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Kristy Regula contributed to this report.