Foestry officials ask citizens not to do outdoor burning

Drought conditions continue to accelerate forest fire dangers, and while there is no statewide burning band in West Virginia yet, forestry crews and firefighters are urging people to avoid outdoor burning. It took five fire departments and the Division of Forestry to stop a brush fire inches away from a home Friday afternoon in Salt Rock. Forestry crews were able to cut a fire line around the blaze and lines were also set around a fire near Paint Creek in Kanawha County. Wildfires knocked out power to about 3,200 customers in Logan County on Thursday. A ban on most daylight burning starts on October 1, but forestry officials say don’t wait for the fall fire season to exercise common sense.