An astonishing 32 wildfires have burned in just the past 12 days, destroying 13,000 acres of land. Gov. Henry commented on the ban, “It may cause a small inconvenience for some Oklahomans, but it will also help reduce the number of dangerous fires and possibly save lives in the process. Many of those fires were started by people throwing cigarettes out of their cars.”
People caught breaking this new burn ban could be fined up to $500 and one year in jail. The dollar amount does not seem reasonable but the jail time will have some affect on people risking starting a fire in such a dry season. Unfortunately they may never stop unthinking people from tossing a cigarette out of their car and into brush.
