I have never written a letter to the editor before, but this is an issue that is very important to me.
I am responding to the article about outdoor burning in the July 12 edition of the Mirror.
Not only does the smoke from my neighbors' fires permeate my house and my belongings, but it is also the primary trigger for my asthma.
I have had three asthma attacks so far in the last month just from being in my house at the wrong time.
When I call the police, I am told that I have no legal recourse, yet I am being physically injured by the actions of my neighbors.
I must swelter in the house with the windows and doors closed, the fans off, gasping for air because people feel the need to burn in 80-plus degree weather?
Will it take someone dying or being hospitalized before Altoona and Logan Township decide to make stricter regulations regarding burning?
How many babies, young children or elderly people are being harmed by the smoke given off by the fires of their friends and neighbors?
Please, before you decide to start a fire, think of the people who will be affected by your actions.
Unless you are willing to burn when there isn't any wind or if you intend to fan it away from other houses, then please don't burn.
Melissa Saller
Altoona
