North Carolina Forest Service issues burn ban for 14 counties in Western NC

NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) -- Due to severe drought conditions in the far western counties of North Carolina, the state forest service has issued a ban on all open burning in several counties.

The ban prohibits all open burning, regardless of whether a permit was previously issued.

"Even though not all areas of North Carolina fall under the burn ban, we do encourage extreme caution with any burning as conditions are dry in many areas of the state. We will continue to assess conditions in the coming weeks to determine if we need to expand the burn ban," Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a release.

Anyone violating the burn ban faces a $100 fine plus $183 court costs. Any person responsible for setting a fire may also be liable for any expenses related to extinguishing the fire.

The ban is in effect for Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, and Transylvania until further notice.

For more information about the ban visit here.