PA Campfire Ban Goes Into Effect

PENNSYLVANIA — Campfires have been prohibited on all Pennsylvania park and forest lands until further notice. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced the ban Tuesday while urging people to avoid burning on all lands because of the state's extremely dry conditions.

The department said wildfire risks have increased because of the dry conditions, sunny days, unseasonably warm temperatures and low humidity. That's unlikely to change in the near-term as the 10-day forecast for most of the state predicts little or no precipitation.

Pennsylvania has had 100 reported wildfires in the past week, and the conservation and natural resources departments believes there have been many more unreported. Several volunteer firefighters were injured in blazes over the weekend and the ongoing wildfires have strained state and local resources.

“Leaf litter, fine twigs, and dried branches are prime fuel sources for a fire that could get out of control – when mixed with our current dry conditions, we have a potential recipe for disaster,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a statement.