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Delaware County commissioners approve temporary burn ban amid dry conditions
Summary
The Delaware County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Sept. 17 to impose a temporary burn ban effective immediately through Sept. 30 or until the county volunteer fire chiefs lift it, citing weeks of dry weather and a sparse rain forecast.
The Delaware County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a temporary burn ban after the county’s emergency management director told commissioners that dry conditions and a limited rain forecast raised the risk of field fires.
John Coutinho, Delaware County emergency management director, asked the board to place a burn ban in effect, saying, “they have determined that the conditions outside for the past several weeks is super dry. We don't see any rain in the forecast.” Coutinho later said, “I'd rather be ahead of this instead of waiting for field fires to come in and and try to combat at that point.”
The motion approved by the commissioners sets the ban to take effect at 10:05 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2025, and remain in place until at least 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2025, or until terminated sooner by the county volunteer fire chiefs. County attorney Danielle Struble called the roll; Commissioners Reagan, Brand and Henry each voted yes. The board recorded a 3-0 vote in favor.
County staff said the fire chiefs representing the county and the city supported the declaration. A staff member provided a brief weather update noting there is a chance of rain on Saturday but that precipitation could be uneven and some areas might not receive measurable rainfall. The board posted that the burn ban declaration and related information will be placed on the county website.
The declaration is an emergency administrative measure to limit outdoor burning while dry conditions persist; the board did not reference a specific state statute or ordinance during the meeting. The ban's duration is explicitly tied to either the Sept. 30 date/time or an earlier termination by the county volunteer fire chiefs, whichever occurs first.
The meeting opened as an emergency session called at the request of the emergency management director and local fire chiefs. After the burn-ban vote the board recessed. No other actions related to the burn ban were recorded in the transcript.
