(Adair) The Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Office issued a burn ban for both Guthrie and Adair Counties starting at noon today.
The State Fire Marshal received the request from Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Director Bob Kempf, representing each Fire Department having all or part of their fire district within Guthrie and Adair Counties, The State Fire Marshal confirmed that conditions are such that open burning constitutes a danger to life or property, and prohibits open burning in both counties.
Extreme drought conditions expanded to a sizable area in southwest and parts of central Iowa that have received from six-to-ten inches less rain than normal during the June through August time frame.
From April 1 to September 1, Guthrie Center received just 8.9 inches of rain which is nearly 12 inches below normal.
The current drought conditions, in combination with unharvested crops, present an increased risk for the potential of rapid fire spread. Controlled fires can quickly become uncontrollable.
