LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Lancaster County commissioners held their weekly work session on Tuesday and discussed plans to lift the current countywide burn ban.
During the session, which was recorded and uploaded publicly, Brain Pasquale, director of Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency, and Duane Ober, Warwick Township's fire commissioner, discussed why they felt the county should retract the ban.
"We made the ban effective on June 9 based on a risk that was prevalent throughout the area. Since that time, we received a pretty good bit of rain," stated Pasquale. "The State Forester has since rescinded the statewide ban on open burning, as well as lowering Lancaster County from moderate risk to low risk as of yesterday."
An updated resolution on the burn ban from the Lancaster County Commissioners also cites numerous chances of rain throughout the week.
Ober told commissioners, "If there's a need to enact a burn ban again, that'll be done at the local level with the local municipalities. Based on the recent rainfall and forecasted rainfall, we would support removing the burn ban."
The current burn ban has been in place for 11 days and was set to be lifted on July 9, 2023. The penalty for violating the burn ban results in fines of $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense and $300 for the third and subsequent offenses.
"I think it's appropriate to rescind it and then if there are any municipalities out of our 60 in the county that have not gotten the rain that much of the county got, then that's an individual decision for them," said Vice Charmain Commissioner Joshua Parsons. "It is an unusual thing when we [enact a burn ban] at a countywide level, and I think that risk has passed."
Lancaster Commissioners say burn bans can still be in place throughout individual municipalities, at the discretion of Borough or Township officials.
The decision is set to be made official at the commissioners' meeting on Wednesday.