Saukville residents asked to cease burning

The Saukville Fire Department is requesting that residents of both the village and town of Saukville cease burning until there is enough rainfall to improve dry conditions.

The department posted the request on its Facebook page July 25.

“With the heat and wind, brush is drying out quickly, creating the perfect atmosphere for brush fires to quickly get out of control,” the post states.

The department also stated that air quality has been low this week due to smoke settling in the area from wildfires in the northwest United States, such as the largest fire currently burning in the nation, the Bootleg Wildfire in Oregon.

“The wildfires are still burning and heat will continue through this week so the smoke will be sticking around for a while yet,” the post states.

A similar burning ban for the Village of Newburg and Town of Trenton was issued by the Newburg Fire Department the same day.

The Newburg department stated that warming fires, cooking fires or the burning of any debris should be ceased until the area receives a significant amount of rainfall.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has classified Ozaukee County as a moderate burn danger but special precautions have been taken in the Saukville-Newburg area to mitigate the risks of a large-scale fire.