(La Porte County, IN) - Open burning is allowed now in unincorporated areas of La Porte County but only if residents obtain permission from their local fire chief.

The La Porte County Commissioners Wednesday night made that decision to keep tinder dry crops protected until they’re harvested and satisfy residents wanting to rake up and burn leaves starting to drop from the trees.

 

The three member governing body could lift the open burning ban entirely at their next meeting on November 6th, or sooner, if more rain falls in the coming days like it has recently, officials said.

 

Commissioner Joe Haney commended residents for complying with the ban imposed on September 18th but sensed their patience is beginning to wear thin.

 

“I think some of the citizens are starting to get a little antsy. There’s going to be a lot of leaves that are already falling,” Haney said.

 

The decision was at the recommendation of Randy Novak, president of the La Porte County Fire Chiefs Association.  Novak opposed lifting the ban entirely since it won’t take long for dead corn plants after plentiful rains the past few days to become powder dry again.  In addition, he said unharvested crops are likely just as dry now as they were previously in areas like southern La Porte County that didn’t receive as much precipitation.

 

Novak said it’s best for local fire chiefs to decide where it’s safe to burn under the present conditions.

 

“You’re kind of shifting it a little bit, allowing certain circumstances but somebody is still controlling it,” he said.

 

The commissioners also decided to allow for any fireworks shows planned in the next few weeks as long as permission is obtained from the fire chief in the jurisdiction where it’s to be held.

 

The open burning ban was in response to farmers concerned about the risk of brush fires on dry landscape spreading to corn and soybean plants that died prematurely this year from lack of rainfall.

 

Last Friday, about 20 acres of corn in a roughly 60 acre field burned near Mill Creek on the east side of the county.  Lincoln Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Cyle Rensberger said the fire is suspected to have started when a spark from a wheel bearing or some other moving part on a combine in the field made contact with the dried out corn plants.

 

Rensberger said the farmer operating the harvester told investigators he climbed down from the machine to have lunch at home with his wife.  He walked a short distance before smelling something odd then noticed flames emerging from his crop.

 

Rensberger said it took nearly two hours to put out the blaze with help by firefighters from several departments using hoses on brush trucks.

 

“We just drove around in the field putting it out that way,” he said.