QUINCY, ILL. -- The National Weather Service cautions everyone to stop burning grass and yard waste because of the recent dry and windy conditions.
There's already a burn ban issued for the city of Hannibal because of it.
The lack of rainfall and windy conditions right now...only a spark is needed to make this dried grass and leaves kindling for a disaster.
In fact Assistant Chief Darren Smith with the Tri-Township fire department says his firefighters have fought two out of control and *unattended* brush and leaf fires the last two nights.
This time of year...grass fires like this are fairly common, due to the abundance of dried grass, leaves and twigs as plants die off for the year. Folks typically try to burn their yard waste...but Smith says a tiny fire can spark disaster if not supervised.
Smith said, "When its unattended you can't keep an eye on it so it's easy for it to get out of control when the wind picks up. I'd say anything over 10 to 15 miles per hour you need to be concerned about burning and especially in open areas because gusts are strong in open areas."
Smith says strong winds can allow small grass fires to get out of control and spread quickly. That's why its important to keep a rake handy as well as a garden hose or a couple of buckets of water.
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