A burn ban will begin statewide on Friday, May 1, but it has nothing to do with the wildfires in southern Georgia or the drought conditions.
“The outdoor burn ban is in effect every year from May 1 to Oct. 1,” Putnam County Fire Chief Thomas McClain said.
He noted that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a burn ban on April 22 in 91 counties across central and southern Georgia, but Putnam County was not on that list. Kemp also declared a State of Emergency when he established the burn ban.
A flyer was placed on the Putnam County Fire Department’s social media pages last week that said a burn ban would be effective in Putnam County on May 1.
The notice originally said that campfires and fireworks were also banned, but McClain said that was an error and would be corrected immediately.
“It’s just for outdoor burning of yard debris as it is every year,” he explained. “It’s nothing new.”
Noting that the local firefighters have been busy this year due to control burns that spread beyond their limits, and the severe drought conditions, McClain encourages everyone to heed the annual burn ban, which begins Friday.