Most Valley fires started by humans burning trash

June 11, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Many of the wildfires in the Valley every season are started in two tediously common ways: old burn piles and bad burn barrels.

&#8220Ninety-five percent of the fires in this area are caused by humans,” said Ken Bullman, area forester with the Division of Forestry.

The Division of Forestry has guidelines for burn barrels that would eliminate many of the fires that keep forestry staff running during fire season - if people would follow the rules.

Burn barrels, which are not allowed in most city limits, are used by many residents in outlying areas to forestall a trip to the landfill.

&#8220Most people in the Valley think it's legal to burn trash, and it's not,” said Thomas Greiling, fire prevention officer. &#8220No noxious stuff, only Class A materials like paper and brush.”

Illegal items for a burn barrel include plastics, rubber, Styrofoam and asbestos, according to information on the division's Web site. One of the problems with burning the illegal items is they don't burn easily and produce black smoke, which almost always is reported as a fire to the division.

Clean wood, paper and unwaxed cardboard are materials that are legal to burn, and the material should be as dry as possible and fed into the barrel in small amounts to make sure it is completely burned.

A good burn barrel is a clean 55-gallon drum in good condition. The barrel should be at least 30 feet from structures, 50 feet away from any above- or below-ground utility corridor, and have 10 feet of clearance on all sides, with ground below it cleared down to bare soil.

Forestry officials recommend draft vents in the lower and middle sections of the barrel. People should cover the vents with metal screen with 5/8 inch mesh, and make a top cover for the barrel with the same material.

For a clean, less-smoky burn, keep the flames in the barrel going strong and don't allow the materials inside to smolder. Officials also stress that someone should stay with the fire; don't light it and leave, as Greiling said many Valley residents do.

All burn barrels are subject to spot inspections from the division, and the fire in a burn barrel must be put out immediately if a health official or law enforcement officer requests it.

You should have enough water and the right tools on hand to put the fire out. And when you do extinguish the fire, be 100 percent sure it is out, mixing it with water before dumping the barrel.

People who let fire and embers escape from their barrels are liable for any wildfire that starts as a result of their negligence.

Greiling said education and enforcement are two ways to reduce the number of wildfires in the Valley. Education is available by logging on to www.dnr.state.ak.us/forestry/burn/

Enforcement is out there for people who are negligent.

&#8220We are taking an aggressive approach,” Greiling said. &#8220We have brought cases to the district attorney's office that will go to court.”

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.