Open burn ban in place for 12 Alabama counties

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - It’s that time of year again. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and summer is around the corner, which also means burning is not allowed in certain counties until the fall. According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), the ban is to protect people and air quality in areas of the state that have a history of air pollution problems.

Jerome Hand with ADEM says it’s in place to protect air quality, especially for the elderly or people dealing with asthma who might have difficulty breathing. That being said, Hand adds there are some exceptions to the rule when it comes to what is allowed to burn during the roughly six month open burn ban.

“The only thing that we allow is if you’re grilling out that’s ok, if you have a small camp fire and you’re burning just regular pellets or fire wood, stuff that’s been cut then that’s kind of ok,” said Hand.

The “no open burn ban” is in place for 12 counties across the state, including Jefferson, Etowah, Shelby, and Talladega counties.

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