Burn Bans Continue to Increase Across North, Northeast Iowa 

 The number of burn bans continues to rise in Northeast Iowa and across the state.

Burn bans went into effect in Clayton and Buchanan counties on Thursday (10.03), with a burn ban activated in Cerro Gordo County at 8 am Friday (10.04) morning. Add those counties to a growing list that also includes Chickasaw, Howard, Winneshiek, Delaware, and Floyd County, where Charles City Fire Chief Sam Deverell says persistent dry conditions are fuel for potential fires.

This is the second straight October Floyd County has been placed under a burn ban. Last fall, the county was under a burn ban from September 7th to October 16th due to the extreme drought at that time.

In issuing a burn ban, the state fire marshal finds that conditions are such that open burning constitutes a danger to life or property. The bans will remain in effect until conditions no longer exist.

Controlled burns with a permit are still allowed as well as fire pits, however, fire pits must have a cover with openings no bigger than one-inch in order to help the spread of embers. However, burn ban or not, open burning in these dry conditions is discouraged. 

As of 11 am Friday (10.04), over a third of the counties in Iowa, 34, were under burn bans, which also includes Hancock, Grundy, Hardin, and Wright counties in north central Iowa.