As smoky haze from wildfires in North Georgia and adjoining states drifted over metro Atlanta last week, Johns Creek became the latest area community to announce a temporary ban on outdoor burning.
The ban is necessary due to extreme dry weather, low humidity and the current fire danger rating, Johns Creek Fire Marshall Chad McGiboney said. “The ban will be in place until weather conditions improve,” he said.
Separately, Milton, which banned outdoor burning on Oct. 21, reported a sharp increase in the number of outdoor fires this fall. Fires have jumped tenfold since Oct. 1, the end of the state’s summer fire ban, over the same period last year.
About 43 percent of total brushfire and woods fire calls were direct violations of Milton’s burn ban, and 33 percent resulted from fires that quickly spread beyond a resident’s control, officials said. Nineteen percent were from unidentified causes, possibly fireworks or careless smoking.
Countywide bans on outdoor burning have been declared by Cobb, Clayton, Forsyth, Gwinnett and Hall and other metro Atlanta counties. Wildfires have scorched more than 10,000 acres in the Cohutta Wilderness Area of Fannin County.
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