Under Pennsylvania law, an individual responsible for a wildfire can be billed for the costs of suppressing the blaze. Most of the fires this spring have been caused by the careless actions of people, many of whom were burning debris without taking proper safety precautions. In communities that allow backyard burning, residents should use a metal barrel in good condition with a heavy screen mesh top, draft holes near the bottom, and a cleared area at least five feet around the incinerator. Burning should not be done on a windy day and should never be left unattended. Each year thousands of acres of Pennsylvania's forests and fields are burned by wildfires, posing a danger to people, homes and wildlife.
Most wildfires occur in the spring when weather conditions allow the forest to dry out quickly.
About 98 percent of wildfires in Pennsylvania are caused by people.