Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
In place until dry, windy conditions cease in Clay and O'Brien counties
As of Tuesday night, there were nine counties in northwest Iowa with burn bans in place.
Open burning in O'Brien and Clay counties is prohibited indefinitely following requests granted Tuesday by the Iowa State Fire Marshal.
The ban will be in place until dry and windy conditions dissipate. The respective requests were submitted to state officials by O'Brien County Board of Supervisors Chair Tim Overmire and Webb Fire Chief Tim Sylvester in Clay County, who did so with the support of all fire departments in both counties.
O'Brien and Clay counties join more than 50 others in the state with open burning bans. According to the orders, "open burning constitutes a danger to life or property" during periods of extended dryness. The prohibitions may only be rescinded after local officials notify the state fire marshal that conditions have eased.
Those who violate the ban will be subjected to a simple misdemeanor charge. The order does not prohibit a supervised, controlled burn that has been issued a permit by the fire chief of the fire district where the burn will take place, the use of outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, properly supervised landfills, or the burning of trash in incinerators or trash burners made of metal, concrete, masonry or heavy one-inch wire mesh with no openings greater than one square inch.
A lack of recent precipitation coupled with steady winds prompted the bans across the state. According to the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a majority of Iowa is experiencing conditions categorized as "abnormally dry," while other portions are worse off. Only a small portion of the state near the Missouri border is experiencing no dry conditions.
