It is the time of year where several controlled burns are happening, along with times that burning is not recommended.

Jefferson Fire Chief Jack Williams says whenever the National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning for Greene County it means that burning is highly not advised due to the low humidity, dry conditions and strong prevalent winds. However, if weather conditions are more favorable to do controlled burning of farm ground, Williams suggests doing this first.

“ Just make sure you call it in. Make sure you check the wind the morning of and look and see what the wind’s going to do when you intend to burn. Because the wind does change direction, it changes speeds when you don’t know it if you’re not paying attention to the forecast.”    

Williams adds that when calling in a controlled burn to leave their address, phone number, and the name of the person lighting it. He says if someone fails to do so and a fire department has to respond because the fire got out of control, they can be fined up to $500. The non-emergency number for the Law Enforcement Center is 515-386-2136.