It is easy to read warnings about burning restrictions during spring fire season and ignore them, or behave as though they do not apply. But until May 31, West Virginians are prohibited from burning outside the hours of 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Fires set during that time must be put out before 7 a.m.
From Jan. 1 to March 1, West Virginia Division of Forestry firefighters faced 162 fires that burned more than 1,144 acres. The workload has only increased. In fact, these men and women have been facing the impossible. And last week, one of them paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
Cody Mullens, 28, of Mount Hope, was fighting a brushfire in Fayette County when a tree fell and killed him.
"Cathy and I are heartbroken by the tragic news of losing one of our own," said Gov. Jim Justice. "Our state foresters are some of the most dedicated workers in our state, putting their lives on the line to protect our communities from wildfires, and we owe them all, especially Cody, an enormous debt of gratitude."
We owe them our gratitude, certainly, but also the peace of mind of knowing Mountain State residents care enough to follow simple rules.
All fires must have a ring or safety strip cleared of burnable material at least 10 feet wide. Any fire must be attended until completely extinguished. Only vegetative materials are permitted to be burned. Spark-throwing machinery operating on land subject to fire must contain an adequate spark arrestor. And inflammable waste disposal areas must annually remove all grass, brush, debris and other inflammable material adjacent to disposal areas to prevent the escape of fire.
"Our fire laws protect one of West Virginia's most valuable resources: our forests," Assistant State Forester-Firefighter Jeremy Jones said. "We urge everyone who burns anything outside to be completely familiar with the guidelines available on our website." (wvforestry.com/fire-laws/)
Jones is right, but we would add the laws protect not only our forests, but our forester/firefighters. They are facing a season with challenges most of us cannot fathom.