Wednesday marks the end of open burning season in Montana.
"Today is the close of the fall open burning season," says Lisa Peterson, a Public Information Officer with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
"So what that means is no open burning is allowed in western Montana until specific permission is obtained from the DEQ. Anyone who’s burning in eastern Montana, who wishes to conduct open burning must notify us by telephone before they start their fire."
Peterson says there’s a reason why open burning isn’t allowed in the winter:
"The air conditions in the winter and the summer and fall are quite different in Montana, so we regulate open burning because burning can have serious health effects if the smoke is released to the atmosphere during times of poor ventilation, such as conditions like inversions."
Open burning season resumes again on March 1.
