The National Park Service (NPS) is announcing plans to burn a large debris pile at Indiana Dunes National Park’s Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk site over the next three weeks.
The debris pile is located next to the beach.
“Over the last several years storms have deposited large tree size pieces of driftwood along the beach,” NPS said “The material is planned to be burned when weather conditions allow in the next three weeks. Fire staff will burn the wood debris, spreading the cooled ashes so as not to create a hazard to the public. Firefighters will use the same planning precautions that are used for prescribed fires to conduct this pile burn. Firefighting-equipped ATVs will be on site for safety.”
“The public is reminded that campfires and grills are not allowed on any of the National Park Service beaches at Indiana Dunes National Park,” NPS added. “On a windy day a campfire or grill may start a vegetation fire which can be difficult to access and extinguish. Additionally, campfires, even when buried, can cause the sand to stay hot for an extended amount of time potentially resulting in burns to other visitors.”