On Oct. 26, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued a ban on all outdoor burning to avoid major brush and forest fires that are at high risk of occurring, given the dry conditions the state is currently experiencing.

East Haven Fire Department (EHFD) Chief Matt Marcarelli said the department has a local ordinance to enforce bans on open burnings that fall under their nuisance ordinance and is asking “that residents be mindful of it and not to burn.”

Marcarelli said cooperation from residents should continue as it has in the past with the same kind of state guidelines to avoid outdoor burning.

Residents are asked to avoid starting open fires on their properties, whether they be fire pits, chimeneas, or cooking fires.

“We’re asking that those not even be done until we get some rain and the conditions change,” said Marcarelli.

The fire chief identified some “areas of concern” in East Haven that may be more susceptible to brush fires, such as the heavily wooded High Ridge area in town and the pampas grass situated off Commerce Drive.

“Those are our problem areas which we would certainly want no one to burn anywhere near that,” said Marcarelli.

The use of illegal fireworks should also be avoided as well, added Marcarelli.

If burning is to take place 20 feet away from a wooded area, the chief recommends having a hose line nearby, if possible, and that burning of construction debris, which is already banned in East Haven, be avoided, too.

Marcarelli said if any outdoor occurs, residents will be asked by EHFP to extinguish the fire. If uncooperative, law enforcement may be deployed to issue a reckless burning charge. Stronger enforcement efforts are hoped to be avoided by the town.

“We’re hoping that we don’t have to issue an ordinance,” said Marcarelli. “Because the state has declared it as an emergency, the mayor would be within his rights to issue a declaration and issue a burn ordinance and the prevention of outdoor fires. So far, we’ve had the public be very cooperative with us, so we haven’t seen the need to do that.”