Fire Danger Announcement Posted In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The West Hartford fire marshal Tuesday issued the following public service announcement regarding brush and forest fires:

"The West Hartford Fire Department is committed to fire prevention and community safety.

"Reaching out to the people we serve is important because the information we offer may result in a fire being prevented or life being saved.

"DEEP's Forest Fire Danger Alert has indicated that the level has been "very high," which means that fires start quickly, burn intensely, and spread rapidly. If you have received an open burning permit to burn brush on your property, the permit is not valid when the index is high, very high, or extreme and you’re burning within 100 feet of grass- or woodlands. Open burning and the submission of future applications may resume when the levels return to low or moderate.

"With the fire danger so high, the West Hartford Fire Department implores that you obey our local laws regarding the current restriction on burning anything outdoors (including recreational fires in fire pits and chimineas) and be particularly careful in completely extinguishing smoking materials. The carelessly tossed remains of a cigarette or even a spark from lawn care machines may cause a fire that can easily become out of control.

"If you see smoke or fire anywhere, including street or highway medians, landscaping mulch, or other susceptible areas, please call 911 immediately and inform the dispatcher where and when you saw the smoke or flames. No matter how small you may think it is, its potential could be far greater than what’s visible.

"Thank you for joining us in our effort to keep our community safe through fire prevention."