Burn ban extended for four Vermont counties, including Windsor

A ban on debris burning has been extended for Windsor County and three other southern counties in Vermont due to an “elevated risk for wildfires.”

A statewide debris burn ban, first announced Oct. 28,  will be extended through Nov. 18 at 3 p.m. for Bennington, Rutland, Windham and Windsor counties, according to a Monday news release from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation.

“Persistent dry conditions in the southern portion of the state, high winds, an abundance of fuel, and regional drought have created an elevated risk for wildfires,” the release said.

For all other counties in the state, the burn ban ended Monday at 3 p.m. However the department warns, “local conditions may vary, and town forest fire wardens may have burning restrictions in place.” A burn permit must be obtained from the local fire warden to open burn in counties without a burn ban.

The Oct. 28 burn ban was issued after several brush fires occurred across the state over a period of two days, including one in Barnard that destroyed 50-60 acres and left one man with non life-threatening injuries.

Elsewhere in New England, crews in Massachusetts and Connecticut have also been fighting several forest fires over the past few weeks.