HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —Be careful with that barbecue grill or fire pit.
Horsham Community Police Services said there has been an issue in the township in recent weeks with open burning.
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Horsham ChATs said a “very dangerous situation” happened over the holiday weekend in which an unattended burn pit began to melt the siding of a home.
“Fortunately, one of our residents —who happened to be one of our Town Watch Special Details Team members —witnessed this and alerted the homeowner,” Horsham ChATs said. “The fire was extinguished and hopefully a lesson was learned. Next time, we might not be so lucky.”
Horsham Community Police Services said the township, like most municipalities in Montgomery County, has enacted strict regulations on open burning.
In Horsham, those fire prevention code regulations enacted by the township in November 2010 are for “regulating and governing the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards arising from storage, handling, and use of hazardous substances, materials, and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises as herein provided.”
According to the code, anyone who violates a provision of this code or fails to comply is guilty of a summary offense, punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both such fine and imprisonment.
Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.
Residents should not openly burn any material, including household trash, books, magazines, newspapers, cardboard, and/or any items that are required to be recycled. That includes yard waste, leaves and scrap lumber or any vegetation, plywood, drywall, plastic products, insulation materials, upholstered furniture, solid waste, and/or construction waste.
Click here for more about Horsham Township’s fire code regulations.