Cape Girardeau County, city issue no-burn advisories

Cape Girardeau County Commission and the city of Cape Girardeau issued no-burn advisories for today because of windy and dry conditions.

The commission said in an emailed statement that it issued a no-burn advisory "due to the combination of high temperatures, low humidity, dry ground covering and the possibility of increasing winds."

The commission advised county residents to postpone open, outdoor burning until the fire danger decreases.

"If you are driving or working outdoors, be extremely careful to properly discard smoking materials. The grass along the highways is very dry and could easily ignite," the commission said in the statement. "Campers and hunters should also be extremely careful."

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department listed today as a "no-burn day" on the city's website.

On days designated "no-burn days," all open burning is prohibited, except cooking fires and any fires specifically permitted by the fire chief or his designee.

According to the city's website, burning is banned based on the following criteria: when atmospheric conditions prevent smoke from rising freely, excessively dry conditions, sustained winds greater than 15 mph or frequent wind gusts greater than 25 mph.