Ipswich Fire Chief Paul Parisi has issued a General Order rescinding a ban on outside burning put in place on November 4th.
“Cooler temperatures, higher relative humidity, and recent precipitation has decreased the extreme risk of outdoor fires spreading and growing quickly,” the order reads. Extreme drought conditions across Massachusetts led to fast-growing outdoor fires that burned hundreds of acres on the North Shore alone. Five local communities — North Reading, North Andover, Danvers, Boxford, and Middleton — declared a State of Emergency in November. Crews from the IFD assisted those communities in battling outdoor fires on several occasions. In Ipswich, there were five minor outside fires that were quickly extinguished by responding personnel. The Fire Department also responded to two violations of the outside burning ban.
“We had relatively few issues during the ban,” wrote Chief Parisi. “We would like to thank our residents for their cooperation and for taking this threat seriously.”
The lifting of the ban means residents can enjoy small, contained fires for cooking or recreation. A complete list of rules governing these uses can be found here.
Open Burning Season for burning brush runs from January 15 to May 1.