Burn permits available after rain

Forrest City Fire Chief Shane Dallas today announced that the Forrest City Fire Department will once again begin issuing burn permits after a weekend in which rain fell across the area.

According to Dallas, anyone seeking a burn permit for vegetation must have the burn area inspected prior to the permit being approved.

"Due to the fact that we have received rain recently, we will now be considering burn permits again," said Dallas. "We will come out and look at it to make sure that it is safe. There are other requirements, such as distance from structures and what is being burned, that has to be approved before a permit can be issued."

Dallas said the FCFD will not issue permits to burn trash or construction debris due to it being a violation of ADEQ regulations.

"We just ask that people please follow the established procedures to request and receive approval before burning any vegetative debris in the city of Forrest City," said Dallas. "No trash or construction debris may be approved by the department due to its violation of Arkansas

Division of Environmental Quality regulations."

Dallas said anyone needing more information on how to obtain a burn permit should check the Forrest City Fire Department’s Facebook page or call the agency’s business number at 870-633-2414.

"If anyone has any questions, they can check our social media page where I will be posting a copy of the permit application, which will lay out the rules involved with getting a permit," said Dallas. "Citizens can also call us on our business line for more information."

Katie West • Times-Herald Lloyd Byrd washes his squash before the Forrest City Farmer’s Market opened Saturday morning. Byrd and other local farmers can often be found at market on Saturdays, from 8 a.m. until noon, on the parking lot at the Forrest City Civic Center.