Saturday is the start of West Virginia’s fall fire season, and while it may be tempting to spend a brisk October day relaxing around a backyard fire pit, it is legal to do so only between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.

That is because the air is much drier and winds tend to be higher during the day, and conditions become less fire-friendly in the evening.

Couple that dry air and wind with crispy leaves littering our forest floors and it is easy to see how a stray ember might spark a devastating wildfire that scorches thousands of acres.

Fires must be surrounded by a safety perimeter of 10 feet, they must not be unattended, and items such as plastic and cardboard should not be burned as they can create harmful pollution.

Further, it is worth checking with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, as the state can ban fires at any time if conditions warrant.

While firefighters from West Virginia are often sent to fight deadly and monstrous fires out West, it should only take one look at the destruction, loss of life and devastation to property — not to mention the harm to wildlife and the scars across the natural world — that’s happening there to remind us we must do all we can to prevent such a tragedy here.

Certainly there are financial penalties for illegal burning as well, but those consequences are strictly secondary to what we might lose here if a wildfire took hold as so many have in states such as California.

Follow the rules and use a little common sense, folks. Enjoy the season, safely.