White County officials have issued a county-wide burn ban due to increasingly dry conditions and the elevated risk of fires spreading out of control.
White County Emergency Management Agency announced Sunday that the ban is effective immediately and is asking residents to refrain from outdoor burning until conditions improve.
EMA Director Alan Wurst said the county has received little to no rain over the past couple of weeks, leaving lawns, fields and other vegetation extremely dry. Officials are also asking residents to use caution with anything capable of producing sparks that could ignite vegetation.
The decision follows a recent tractor-trailer fire that quickly spread into surrounding vegetation and threatened nearby dry cornfields. One firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion while another nearly required medical treatment, according to Wurst.
The restrictions are primarily aimed at larger outdoor fires, including brush piles. Small backyard grills and cookouts are still permitted, while residents having small campfires are urged to keep water or a garden hose nearby.
The burn ban will remain in effect until White County receives enough sustained rainfall to improve the extremely dry conditions.