WARRICK CO., IN (WFIE) -
It's county fair season and one fair up north in central Indiana says smoking is not allowed. Officials in Johnson County say it's just too dry out, and they don't want any fires to start from discarded cigarette butts.
Now, officials in Warrick County are taking their example and are considering a smoking ban at their upcoming fair also.
Fair officials say smoking is already banned inside their buildings, but they say that lighting up outside poses a lot of safety hazards because of the condition of the grass.
It's hot and it's dry and fair officials say that always causes some type of trouble.
"It will play a big role, as you can see our grass is already dead and it's a little bit of a fire hazard. The heat is really hard on the livestock," Fair Chairman Tim Reibold said.
Boonville Fire Chief Steve Byers says dry, yellow, dead grass is perfect kindling for a fire.
"It wouldn't take much to get a small fire going, and then before you know it, it could be burning out of control," Byers said.
That's why the Warrick County Fair Board is considering a smoking ban for the entire fairgrounds. Reibold says so many activities are outside and should a fire spark, the results could be devastating.
"It could easily catch the grass on fire, and if it's in the parking lot, we have vehicles parked there so it could catch the vehicles on fire. Our midway is an area where we have a lot of carnival rides and it could potentially be a hazard in there," Reibold said.
Byers says he supports the idea of a county fair smoking ban for the same reason he feels the burn and fireworks bans are necessary. It's just too risky to take a chance.
"I think that with the situation we're under, everything, the vegetation's all dying. I think it's a good idea," Byers said.
14 News also spoke with representatives from the Vanderburgh County Fair and they say a smoking ban is also a consideration. Since their fair is still a few weeks away, they will make that decision closer to opening day.
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It's hot and it's dry and fair officials say that always causes some type of trouble.
