Orange County police and emergency managers say they’re working with sawmill owners after complaints from residents about smoke from burns at the sawmills.
Sawmills process logs into usable forms of lumber. Orange County Emergency Management Director Rick Emerick says they usually burn excess wood, but homeowners living near certain mills say the smoke is a nuisance.
"It had just gotten to the point they couldn’t enjoy sitting outside on their front porch because of the ash and the smoke and the nuisance of it," Emerick says.
While individuals can have open burns on their properties, Emerick says Indiana businesses cannot.
He was not aware of the state law until recently, but he says he’s confident everyone will comply once notified.
