State is getting drier and hotter

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A ban on all open burning is in effect for 26 North Carolina counties, and all burning permits have been canceled because of an increased fire risk, the N.C. Forest Service said Monday.

The forest service said in a news release that the ban will remain in effect until further notice. The affected counties are: Anson, Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland and Wayne.

“Our state is getting drier and hotter, and wildfires like those conditions,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in the news release. “These conditions coming during spring wildfire season when wildfire activity and fire risks are already elevated, make this burn ban necessary to protect life and property in North Carolina.”

The ban prohibits all open burning in the affected counties, regardless of whether a permit had been issued. New permits will be issued until the ban is lifted, the forest service said. Violators face a $100 fine plus $183 court costs, and anyone found responsible for setting a fire may be liable for the costs associated with putting out the fire.

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