Burn Ban or Not, Dry Conditions Can Help Outdoor Burning Spread Quickly

The U.S. Drought Monitor for Iowa shows extreme drought persists in all or parts of Chickasaw, Floyd, Mitchell, Howard, Fayette, Bremer, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Cerro Gordo, Winneshiek and Franklin counties.

While only Floyd County is under a burn ban, Chickasaw County Sheriff Ryan Shawver says the dry conditions can result in outdoor burning getting out of hand quickly.

If you are considering any outdoor burning, let authorities know.

Shawver says he’ll even take snow at this point to help alleviate the extremely dry conditions across north and northeast Iowa. 

Meanwhile, Charles City Fire Rescue is reminding Floyd County residents that the burn ban is still in effect after responding to large amounts of black smoke north of town Monday (03.04) morning. At the scene, firefighters found a trash pile on fire with no attendant on site and quickly extinguished the fire. 

A CCFR Facebook post also notes open burning of garbage, brush, etc. is NOT allowed under the burn and the brief rain showers received Monday is not enough to saturate the ground sufficiently to prevent the spreading of grass fires.