COUNTY COMMISSION ISSUES NO-BURN ORDER

The Cape Girardeau County Commission issued a no-burn order Saturday night after fire departments responded to more than a dozen fires in less than eight hours.

The order applies to the entire county. Both the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson have issued similar orders. The burning ban remains in effect until further notice, officials said.

Rural fire departments were called to at least a dozen fires. In the city of Cape Girardeau, firefighters fought three fires Saturday afternoon that were fanned by brisk winds.

Two of the fires, one of them involving a storage shed on Meadowbrook and the other a large grass fire in the Twin Lakes neighborhood, were blamed on outdoor burning. A house was damaged at 324 S. Lorimier after flames spread from a barbecue grill, city fire officials said.

Jackson firefighters responded to a fire that was sparked by a property owner burning brush. The fire almost reached the house before it was extinguished.

"Things are just at the point, they are dry enough with the brisk winds we have had the last couple of days that there has been a large outbreak of fires," said Capt. Scott Altenthal of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

Altenthal said people have been taking advantage of the warm weather to burn limbs and other yard waste.