Fires are prohibited in Pennsylvania state forests through May due to the increased risk of forest fires

Fires are prohibited from now through May 25 in Pennsylvania state forests, unless permitted by the forest district, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

The greatest danger of wildfires in Pennsylvania occurs during the spring months of March, April, and May, and the autumn months of October and November, according to the DCNR.

In Pennsylvania, 99 percent of all wildfires are caused by people.

One of the major causes of forest fires in Pennsylvania is debris burning.

A careless person burning trash or yard waste can be responsible for causing wildfires that burn thousands of acres of valuable Pennsylvania forests, according to the DCNR. These fires most frequently start in someone’s backyard and travel through dead grass and leaves into bordering woodlands.

​Check with your township for burn bans and local ordinances on debris burning.

Check daily fire danger across the Commonwealth here

http://bit.ly/2J131jx.

•