At the request of officials with the West Virginia Division of Forestry and West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Gov. Jim Justice has amended the proclamation banning all outdoor burning throughout West Virginia – originally issued last Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 – to include an additional exclusion from the ban.
The ban, which is necessary because of drought conditions and reduced water supply levels in some communities, remains in effect at this time and will stay in effect until conditions improve.
The corrected, full list of exclusions is as follows:
• Fires for the purpose of chemical production, where fire is essential to operation.
• Fires for commercial land-clearing, such as mining, highway construction, and development; provided that a permit is obtained from the Division of Forestry prior to burning.
• Training fires conducted under the direct control and supervision of qualified instructors at a training facility operated by a fire department or government entity; provided that a permit for such training fires is obtained from the Division of Forestry prior to burning.
• Fires for outdoor cooking conducted for fundraising events and charitable organizations; provided that a water source capable of extinguishing the fire must be present and that a permit is obtained from the Division of Forestry prior to burning.
• Liquid-fueled gas grills, lanterns, or liquid-fueled gas fire stoves.
• Fires built for warming or cooking within fireplaces or fire rings at designated federal and state recreation areas, provided area managers have the authority and discretion to continue the ban on open burning within any designated areas.
Please note, this correction applies only to the language contained within the original press release. The language contained within the original proclamation, as previously posted online, was correct and remains unchanged.