Two area fires are extinguished Monday

DICINSON - The Stark County Sheriff’s Department reported Tuesday morning that a controlled fire at a residence near Gladstone on Monday not only violated the county wide burn ban, which was instated last Tuesday, but it also got out of hand.

According to the report, Johanne Vinson was cleaning the yard and burning some of the sticks she had removed. At about 1:06 p.m., the wind caught the flames, causing nearby grass and a small shed to catch fire.

Damages totaled about $800 for the shed, trees and one to two acres of burned property.

Stark County Sheriff Clarence Tuhy said the investigation has been forwarded to the states attorney’s office.

According to Kurt Lefor of Dickinson Rural Fire Department, another controlled burn took place earlier Monday morning. The fire department did not respond to this incident.

“It was a guy doing some burning and we just asked him to put it out,” Lefor said. “It was contained, so they just took care of it.”

Lefor said the fire, which occurred at 4038 Third Ave. W., was started by Fred Tooz, who said he was not aware that a burn ban had been issued.

Tooz was not cited.

Stark County Emergency manager Gary Kostelecky said violating the ban could result in a $500 fine. A second infraction can result in a class B misdemeanor and up to one year of imprisonment. Somebody who willfully starts a wildfire while the ban is instated can be subjected to a $2,000 fine and one year of imprisonment.

Kostelecky said the burn ban will not be lifted until the region receives adequate precipitation.

“We’re going to need 3-4 inches of moisture…that’s going to cause the country to green up,” Kostelecky said. “Until that time everything is brown and very dry out there.”

He added that the restriction is in place for safety reasons.

“We respectfully ask that everybody adhere to the burn ban and ask that everybody refrain from burning and to not endanger themselves or their neighbors,” Kostelecky said.

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