The state has lifted its suspension of burn permits on the Kenai Peninsula, just a day after imposing the ban, as the weather changed and reduced the risk of fire.

“Weather moves all over the place, we try to predict as best we can,” said Darren Finley, a fire prevention technician with the Division of Forestry.

The Kenai-Kodiak area office lifted the burn permit suspension Monday after imposing it Sunday morning.

The offices tries not to turn burn suspensions on and off and on and off, Finley said, though forecasting the weather “is a pretty difficult process.” The forestry division checks the weather and has monitoring stations across the peninsula, he said.

Lighter winds and clouds help reduce the fire risk.

Even afater lifting the burn suspension, the division reminds people to take extra care when burning in areas near standing dead grasses or black spruce, particularly in areas where the winds are blowing.

For more information, call the burn permit call-in line at 260-4269 or check the website forestry.alaska.gov/burn.

–Staff report