The burn ban across McKean County is still in effect.

On Wednesday, Commissioner Chairman John Egbert said officials
are in the process of polling the county’s fire chiefs and could
lift the ban during the commissioners’ meeting on Tuesday.

“We are not about to lift it (ban) until we get at least a
majority of the fire chiefs saying we should,” Egbert said. “We put
the burn ban in at the suggestion of them.”

Egbert said county Emergency Management Agency Director Steve
Nelson was talking to fire chiefs Wednesday, and if a consensus
isn’t reached, officials will poll them again before the
meeting.

“We fully expect the ban to be lifted at that meeting,” Egbert
said.

All told, there are 19 fire chiefs across the county.

The ban was put into place earlier this month after numerous
wildfires were reported across the region, with more than 30
reported since the end of March. Thus far, nobody has been severely
injured as a result of the blazes.

The county has seen some relief from the dry conditions over the
past week or so, however, with additional rain forecast over the
weekend. There hasn’t been any steady, drenching rain, however.

“If you walk in the woods, it’s still pretty dry,” Egbert
said.

Egbert said the county is making an exception for the upcoming
Tri-County Fire School this weekend in Smethport. Officials with
the school have a permit for a controlled burn from the state
Department of Environmental Protection, according to Egbert, adding
the school will feature fire control education.

“They will also have the appropriate equipment on hand,” Egbert
said. “We’ve agreed to allow them to continue their school or
otherwise they would have to cancel it.”

Egbert said some county residents have contacted the courthouse
inquiring about what the burn ban entails.

“We have told them you can cook on a grill, but building an open
fire in your backyard is not appropriate,” Egbert said.

Officials said those violating the ban will face summary charges
and have to pay fines of between $100 and $300.

By law, the ban has to be reversed through an ordinance by the
commissioners. If necessary, the commissioners could extend the ban
again after 30 days.

The last time the county issued a burn ban was last spring, when
a similar rash of wildfires hit the region. The ban was issued
after a rare “Red Flag Warning” from the National Weather Service
was enacted. The warning, which came from the service’s State
College office, covered 31 northcentral Pennsylvania counties,
including McKean, Potter, Cameron, Elk and Warren.

Meanwhile, a similar ban across Warren County has been lifted,
according to the commissioners there.

There was no immediate word regarding the ban in place for the
Allegheny National Forest, which is routinely used by scores of
residents and visitors for recreational means.

The forest covers McKean, Elk, Warren and Forest counties.

As of last week, Potter County still had a voluntary ban in
place, while Elk and Cameron counties had not issued a ban.