Manchester Township Fire Department fighting a grass fire last Sunday, April 4th near the intersection of M52 and Waldo Rd. Photo courtesy of Micah Fox.

>The Manchester Township Fire Department is again issuing burning permits for our area after halting for a time in March after a rash of grass and field fires combined with very dry conditions. A permit must be obtained for all outdoor fires, except camp fires, cooking fires, and burning barrels.

Fire chief Bill Scully asks everyone to keep in mind if you plan on burning that the burning of garbage is illegal in Michigan but that paper and cardboard can be burnt in a barrel. He also states that burning hours are dawn to dusk daily and all fires must be extinguished at night, (although camp fires and cooking fires are exempt from this regulation) and fires must be monitored until they burn out, or are extinguished.

Scully warns residents, “Although we have had some rain, and some of the grass is starting to green up, the dead grass will still burn. Monitor the wind condition. The wind will change direction and gust at times, causing a fire to get out of control.”