Get rid of pruning debris and vegetation that accumulates clear land can be a problem for homeowners, especially when dealing with large amounts of branches and brush. However, it must be taken into account that burning these remains generally requires certain permits, and doing so without them can result in penalties, especially when the fire gets out of control. This is what happened to a 73-year-old man in France, who decided to burn the plant remains of a plot and ended up receiving a fine of 750 euros after the flames spread over 2,000 square meters of land.
According to information published by The Dépêche du Midion September 19, the man had been clearing his plot and, to get rid of the remains, he decided to set them on fire. However, the flames began to spread quickly and the owner was unable to control the fire, so firefighters had to attend.
The Police opened an investigation with which it was discovered that the old man had failed to comply with a ban in force in the area in which vegetation could not be burned due to the drought. Furthermore, just a day later, another resident of the same town caused a similar fire while burning pruning remains, so the authorities had to intervene again.
The fire devastated 2,000 square meters and the Police had to intervene
The first fire occurred on Saturday, September 19, shortly before five in the afternoon, when the man was burning the branches and brush that he had removed from his land.
Although he had lit the fire to get rid of this waste, the flames spread across the plot and ended up affecting a much larger area.
Castelsarrasin-Moissac firefighters went to the scene and managed to put out the fire, but by then the fire had already devastated about 2,000 square meters of land.
The police officers who also went to the area verified that the person responsible was the 73-year-old man and that he had set fire to the plant remains even though it was prohibited to do so.
For this reason, the man received a fine of 750 euros for violating the prohibition, even though the fire had started within the plot he was cleaning.
Another neighbor started a fire that almost reached a home
The next day, Sunday, September 20, the emergency services had to intervene again due to another fire caused by burning plant remains. On this occasion, several neighbors notified the Police when they saw that the flames were approaching the wall of a house.
When officers arrived, they found an elderly man trying to put out the fire with a small garden hose, although he was unable to control the flames.
From what the first investigations determined, the man had been burning plant remains that belonged to a neighbor who was not at home.
After these incidents, the Prefecture once again recalled the promotion of burning pruning remains and other plant waste outdoors, both for individuals and for gardening companies and professionals.
The authorities explained that this ban also affects garden incinerators and that those who fail to comply can face fines of up to 750 euros.
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As an alternative, they recommended taking the plant remains to a clean point, using them to make compost or using them as soil cover, instead of burning them.