Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Chief Shawn Hummer said charges will be filed against a Jersey Shore man who was burning debris in his backyard on Tuesday. Hummer said Jeffrey Koch, 59, of rear 439 S. Main St., will be charged with violation of the burning ordinance, and could also be charged with reckless endangerment and almost causing a disaster. “When we arrived, there was a large pile of debris on fire with flames at least 10 feet tall, right up against the steps,” Hummer said. A neighbor called police... saying he feared the fire was endangering the house. Both borough fire companies were dispatched and the fire was extinguished, but not before an irate Koch remarked to a firefighter, “Don’t put it out yet.” The borough ordinance permits burning in the borough on Thursdays up until 6 p.m. The ordinance requies all material must be burned in a burn barrel with a mesh screen over the top. In this photo, Jeffery Koch stands on his porch moments before firefighters arrive to extinguish the illegal burning activities.
