Outdoor burning can resume Friday in Whitley County

Starting Friday, Whitley County residents will once again be able to burn things outdoors.

Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr. issued a ban on all outdoor burning on Nov. 1 due to drought conditions and several wildfires through the area.

During the month of November, over 3,000 acres of land in Whitley County burned even with the outdoor burning ban in place.

Whitley County Projects Director Amber Owens said that White would lift the burning ban starting, Friday Dec. 16.

As of Dec. 7, Whitley County was one of 14 counties in Kentucky, which still had burning bans in place.

Owens said that despite recent rains, White decided to leave the ban in place through Thursday, Dec. 15, which is the last day for the fall fire hazard season.

The fall fire hazard runs from Oct. 1 – Dec. 15. During that time, outdoor burning within 150 feet of any woodland or brush land is prohibited between the hours of 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.