Mid-Missouri under fire weather watch
Most of mid-Missouri is under a Red Flag warning until 6 or 7 p.m. Saturday.
Fire officials suggested that no one burn outside while under a fire watch or warning because the strong winds and dry air will cause a fire to spread easily.
Gale Blomenkamp, Boone County assistant fire chief, said that December through March is usually their busiest season for fires.
“I just think people don’t realize how dry the grasses are. They’re dead or dormant, so there’s no uptake of moisture. So the ground may be wet, the ground may be moist, but those plants are not taking any moisture, so they are very, very dry,” Blomenkamp said.
Blomenkamp said he’s expecting to see 12 to 15 fires over the weekend, and strongly urged people not to burn at all.
“People need to use caution. If you don’t need to be burning, then don’t burn at all. Don’t burn your trash, be careful throwing out your discarded cigarettes; if you’re pulling a trailer, make sure your chains aren’t dragging and throwing sparks on the highway,” Blomenkamp said.
