Vermont Statewide Ban on Debris Burning extended until 11/18/24

The Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation has extended the ban on burn permits for Bennington, Rutland, Windham and Windsor Counties. The ban on burn permits will remain in effect through November 18, 2024.

This order may be revoked sooner on a statewide basis, or on a county-by-county basis depending upon the fire danger and weather conditions. At the end of this period, a new order or an extension of this order may be issued if very high forest fire danger continues to exist. You will be notified by VT-Alert if this order is rescinded before the expiration date.

Montpelier, VT – After a warm, dry week and weekend and several reports of large wildfires in Vermont, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has issued an order for all of the state’s forest fire wardens to cease issuing burning permits from 3:00 pm on October 28, 2024 through 3:00 pm on November 11, 2024. The order will be in effect for two weeks and can be revoked earlier if conditions warrant. 

Over the last week, the wildfire danger has fluctuated between high, very high, and extreme throughout the state. With the continued dry weather outlook and the abundance of dry leaves and dry fuels in Vermont’s forests, wildfires have the potential to spread rapidly. Recent relative humidity levels as low as 16% in the past week and winds gusting over 30 MPH have also influenced wildfire spread. Furthermore, there is no significant rainfall in the forecast and therefore fire danger is expected to remain at these elevated levels for the foreseeable future.  

“We have received notification from many Town Forest Fire Wardens that they have stopped issuing burn permits in their towns,” said Danielle Fitzko, Commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. “This statewide order supports their efforts. We are also concerned with fire department personnel becoming strained and fatigued as they share responsibility for wildland fire response.”  

The current fire situation is not limited to Vermont. “Other New England states currently have elevated fire danger and are experiencing large wildfires that have required assistance from neighboring states,” said Dan Dillner, Vermont Forest Fire Supervisor. “It is critical that we reduce the potential for further human caused fires by putting this temporary ban on burn permits in place.” 

Fires over the weekend have destroyed two camps in Barnard, VT. Some of these fires were caused by improper disposal of wood stove ash and debris burning.  

For the current fire danger forecast, visit https://fpr.vermont.gov/forest/wildland-fire/monitoring-fire-danger. For more information on fire safety and prevention, visit https://fpr.vermont.gov/prevent-forest-fires.