By Staff
Letter to the Editor
It is important to obey the current burn ban that Atmore officials are enforcing until the city experiences some rain.
The reason it is imperative to obey this ban is to keep Atmore Fire &Rescue Department and Poarch Volunteer Fire Department, along with other Escambia County fire departments from doing unnecessary fire fighting.
With all of the brush fires that have occurred within the past couple of weeks, local firemen have certainly kept busy.
The fire in the Perdido area last Wednesday that burned around 80 acres could have led to burned houses, businesses or churches. Although the cause of that fire is suspected arson, a lot of fires are simply started by accident, like burning trash in the backyard gone wrong.
The Alabama Forestry Commission has been giving caution to landowners against burning underbrush and damaged limbs. With the lack of precipitation, the small fire from the burning of rubbish could possibly lead to a very large blaze.
If it is necessary to burn debris, call the Forestry Commission for a burn permit and be certain to use all safety precautions for burning.
It is very important for people who smoke to discard of their cigarette's properly. A lit cigarette being thrown out of a vehicle into a bush or onto the grass could also easily start an unneccesary fire.
There have been around 780 wildfires that have burned about 19,000 acres of land throughout the state of Alabama since the beginning of this month.
It is key to pay attention to our actions to keep from doing things that harm both our environment and our health.
The health issues that are involved with a fire are obviously, the chance of getting severely burned by the hot blaze. But, the No. 1 cause of death in fire-related incidents is smoke inhalation.
Due to the fire in the Perdido area, the sky was filled with smoke. The smoke can cause damage to our lungs because of the chemicals the fire produces.
For the safety of our environment and your own health, as well as the health of your children, friends, grandparents and siblings, respect the burn ban and act responsibly.