Flathead fire managers are warning homeowners about the dangers associated with open burn season this year.
Flathead County Fire Manager Lincoln Chute told MTN that heavy winds this year downed lots of green brush.
In years past, Chute said the brush has been drier and brown.
Greener brush, however, produces lots of extra smoke and air pollutants when burned, which could cause air quality and breathing issues for people.
Chute said especially with the rise in Coronavirus cases, people need to be extra careful of high risk individuals this burn season.
"With the Coronavirus, respiratory problems, asthma and stuff. When we're doing burning we want to everything we can not to impact the other citizens of the valley," explained Chute. "The other thing you need to do is call air quality to make sure that the ventilation is good. The air is moving enough that it won't hold down in the valley."
If you want to burn old fuels, Chute suggests leaving burn piles out to dry, so they aren't as wet.
He explained to MTN that this will prevent extra smoke that could pollute the air.
