Thanks couch burning: Morgantown bans upholstered outdoor furniture

It’s usually tough being a couch in Morgantown, West Virginia, but it may have just gotten a bit easier.

When the Mountaineers win a big game, it has become tradition for fans to take to the streets and burn couches in celebration. The Morgantown City Council wants to put a stop to that tradition and voted unanimously to ban having “upholstered furniture outdoors.”

From West Virginia Public Broadcasting:

In response to the many street fires following big football and basketball games, Morgantown unanimously passed a law Tuesday, April 7, that bans upholstered furniture outdoors.

No one spoke during a public hearing about the new ordinance that would ban people living in city limits from having upholstered furniture in their yards or unenclosed porches. Morgantown City Manager Jeff Mikorski said the ban is an attempt to stem the number of fires that often spring up after West Virginia University games.

Mikorski estimated that there have been more than “3,000 street fires” in the last 10 years “because of the quick ability to bring furniture from porches and put it into the streets and put them on fire.”

Violators of the new law will receive a written warning first, Mikorski said. After that, couch-burners could face a fine of up to $500.

Something tells me that many warnings will be written when the fall rolls around.

For more West Virginia news, visit WVSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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