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NAME: News Editors/News Directors
DATE: July 20, 2005
TIME: 2:15 P.M.
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Phone:
720.874.4165
M E D I A R E L E
A S E
Effective immediately, the Arapahoe
County Sheriff has issued a ban on all open fires and open burning within
Unincorporated Arapahoe County. The
Arapahoe County OPEN BURNING BAN will continue to be in effect until this order
is formally rescinded or temporarily suspended by the Sheriff. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson
Robinson, with the support of local fire departments and the Board of County
Commissioners, has determined that the existing conditions in Unincorporated
Arapahoe County present an extreme danger for the possibility of wildfire and
large wild-land fires. The
authority to implement the OPEN BURNING BAN within
Unincorporated Arapahoe County is provided through Arapahoe County Ordinance
2000-02, as well as Colorado Revised Statutes 30-10-512.
Open fires or open burning shall be defined as any outdoor
fire, including, but not limited to: campfires,
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warming fires, fires in outdoor wood-burning stoves (chimney
sparks), use of all fireworks, and the prescribed burning of fence lines, fence
rows, fields, farmlands, rangelands, wildlands, trash or debris. The Arapahoe County OPEN BURNING BAN is
enforced as a County Ordinance violation that, upon conviction, could result in
fines of $500.00 for the first offense, $750.00 for a second offense, and
$1,000.00 for a third and subsequent offenses.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff, or his
designee, has the authority to grant exceptions to the fire restrictions, on a
temporary basis, if certain conditions exist, which may warrant special
consideration. The Open Burning Ban will be cancelled when the
current extreme fire hazard no longer exists.
The
following shall be exempt from the Burning
Ban:
Fires
contained within liquid-fueled or gas stoves, fireplaces and
wood-burning stoves within
buildings.
Small charcoal
or gas grill barbecues used for cooking or warming
food, which do not produce open flames
when used.
Fires set by
any federal, state, or local
officer, or member of a fire protection district in the
performance of an official duty.
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Public fireworks displays
with adequate
firefighting personnel and equipment assigned to be on the
scene of such permitted public displays.
“While
the OPEN BURNING BAN may have an
impact for some residents of our community, in the best interests of life
safety and property preservation, I respectfully request your cooperation to
reduce the potential of fire loss in unincorporated Arapahoe County” said
Sheriff Robinson.
The
following fire safety recommendations are provided for Arapahoe County residents
to protect property from fire:
Rural
property owners should trim vegetation to a distance of 50 feet from all
structures.
In
wooded areas, ground vegetation should be trimmed to reduce the potential of
fire spreading to structures.
Vacant
lots should be mowed.
Fire-breaks,
of at least 20 feet in width, should be cut along fence lines.
Maintain
garden hoses close to residences, to aid in containing SMALL fires that involve
an area of vegetation that is less than 10 square feet in size.
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Do
NOT attempt to fight fires involving a structure, fires threatening a
structure, or fires that are larger than 10 square feet.
In
all cases, IMMEDIATELY contact your local fire department by calling 911 or a
local emergency phone number.
Attempt to evacuate all occupants, from buildings, to an area of safety
and await the arrival of the fire department.
NEVER
re-enter a building that is burning as the smoke and heat of a fire is the
leading cause of death and severe injury.
For additional information contact Sheriff Grayson Robinson at 720.874.4165 or your local fire department.
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