By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

With persistent dry conditions affecting the region, Ellis County has once again implemented a burn ban.

Ellis County Director of Fire and Emergency Management Darin Myers announced Wednesday the ban will go into effect Thursday and continue for the “foreseeable future.”

Myers, who was given the authority earlier this year by the county commission to implement a burn ban, said the current conditions could lead to fires and they could spread quickly.

“Due to the lack of moisture, the continuously low levels of relative humidity and the wind … fire danger and rapid fire growth and spread are the major issues,” Myers said.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Ellis and the surrounding counties for the next several days. According to the National Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning is typically issued when “a geographical area has been in a dry spell for a week or two” and when the average wind is greater than 15 mph and relative humidity is less than 25 percent.

Under a burn ban, all outdoor burning in prohibited within the unincorporated areas of Ellis County. That includes burning tree limbs, garden debris, waste or burn barrels and recreational fires such as bonfires and campfires, according to Myers.

On Tuesday, the Ellis County Fire Department was called to a small fire along Interstate 70 and they believe it was related to several fires along I-70 in Russell County, as well, Myers said.

He said especially during times of extreme dry conditions it’s important that people do anything they can to prevent fires from starting.

“Conditions are favorable enough from just a cigarette butt to a spark off a piece of machinery that could start a fire,” Myers said.

If you see a fire or accidentally start a fire, the first thing you should do is call 911 so first responders can be dispatched as quickly as possible, according to Myers.

Officials in Russell County adopted a burn ban last week and, on Monday, Rooks County officials also adopted a burn ban.