Burke Richeson asked permission from the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety last week to burn brush and trees collected after clearing land in anticipation of the Centennial Crossing housing development project in the area of Plymouth-Goshen Trail and Randoph Street.
Richeson brought Bill Voorhies from Construction Management Design to explain the curtain burn system that will be utilized in this process.
“It produces no smoke. Once you get the fire going it goes in a self-contained unit, or a trench, and it puts an air curtain over the trench which reburns the smoke particles. Basically, all you’ll see is heat vapor coming off the burn,” explained Voorhies.
The unit is about the size of a dumpster.
The larger logs and trees that are good for lumber will be logged out.
Richeson said he consulted with Plymouth Fire Chief Rod Miller who didn’t have an issue with the process.
Plymouth Municipal Airport Manager Bill Sheley suggested that since the operation is so close to the highway, a permit may be needed from Indiana Department of Transportation. His biggest concern would be smoke coming across any airport runways, but Voorhies said smoke shouldn’t be a problem. Sheley asked to have communication of times and dates of burning activity for logging purposes.
The board members approved the request with a unanimous approval. The process could take only two weeks once it’s initiated.
