2-week burn ban issued for Cleveland County

Jan. 24—Cleveland County commissioners issued a 14-day burn ban Monday in response to high fire danger reported by fire chiefs.

The ban, effective Monday, prohibits all kinds of outdoor fires, including burning trash and compost. Outdoor cooking with appliances is allowed.

Anyone convicted of violating the ban is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine, up to one year imprisonment, or both, according to a Monday news release from the county.

The burn ban comes as Norman has not had any precipitation accumulate since the beginning of 2022, according to National Weather Service records.

Norman Fire Chief Travis King, one of the fire chiefs who lent his input before the decision, said he has seen an uptick in small grass fires throughout Norman over the past three to four weeks.

"We determine, on a daily basis, whether we allow burning inside the city limits, and certainly, our chiefs have been erring on the side of not allowing burning under these conditions," he said.

King said cold fronts — like the one seen last week — followed by good weather, like that over the weekend and Monday, can prompt county residents to work outside. Working with heavy equipment in dry, overheated brush can lead to grass fires, he said.

Fire chiefs' perspective on the burn ban could change over the next two weeks if more precipitation falls in Cleveland County. As of Monday afternoon, Norman had a 40% chance of rain or snow Wednesday night, according to NWS records.

But the ban could also be extended if conditions stay dry, King said.

"Let's at least get to that point and reassess, but that standpoint will obviously be from the county commissioners, whether to extend it or not," he said.