While more activities are taking place outdoors as the weather continues to be nice this summer, there are some reminders for bonfire safety. 

Stuart Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Martinson says if someone is planning to have a bonfire they wouldn’t need to necessarily call the fire department to let them know they are going to have one, but they can alert public safety officials that they will have a fire going. 

“What we try to encourage everybody to do is to call county dispatch whether that be in Guthrie County or the Adair County side and let them know how big the fire is going to be and the exact location. That way if a passerby drives by and doesn’t see anybody out there attending it then dispatch can let them know ‘Hey we already got this, we know this is a controlled burn,’ so there’s really no emergency at that point.”

Martinson tells Raccoon Valley Radio in the event that someone is having a bonfire or a controlled burn and it gets out of control the first thing they should do is call the fire department so they can make their way to the scene. 

“We like to get as early of a response as possible that way we can get there in time to prevent any further spread of that fire.”

Martinson says the fire can spread rapidly if it is a windy day and people should make sure everyone is out of the structure.