Burn bans still in effect despite rain

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Many people are celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend and, with the rain Friday, some might be tempted to have a bonfire or light of fireworks.

Wabash Township Fire Department public information officer Kevin McCombs said that's not a good idea because all burn bans for Tippecanoe and surrounding counties are still in effect despite the rain.

"There are fines associated with the burn ban, so if a neighbor calls your fire in, the police could come out and the fire department and ask you to put that out. So I'd still stick with the burn ban of not burning," McCombs said.

NewsChannel 18 meteorologist Jessie Hawila said we still a significant amount of rain before burning is safe.

"Some of us are in a severe drought, some of us are actually into the extreme drought and that means we really need double-digit rainfall totals," Hawila said. "So one or two inches is great and it's a start but with the temperatures we've had in the mid 90s, upper 90s, and even triple-digit heat and it's been so dry for so long. It's really going to require a lot more than that to put us in a safer position with burning."

Local fire departments said they want people to enjoy the holiday but want to remind them that fireworks are still banned for personal use because even with the rainfall the danger of starting a fire is still very high.

"We're asking that private firework displays be held down and just try to make it out to one of the public displays out in West Lafayette, Lafayette, or one of the surrounding counties," McCombs said.

NewsChannel 18's weather team wants to remind people to not be fooled by the rain we've had.

"The grass is dead. This rain isn't going to make it come back alive. Once that water from the grass is gone that's sitting on the grass, it's still dead grass. It's still going to dry out very very quickly which makes things very prone for fires," Hawila said.