County orders ban based on drought conditions

By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

The Barry County Commission has ordered a burn ban until further notice.

The decision came on Thursday in response to parts of the county being designated in severe drought in the north and extreme drought in the south. Defying the burn ban could be punishable as a Class A misdemeanor.

The order said the decision is upon determination by the State Fire Marshal a ban is appropriate for the county due to an actual or impending occurrence of a natural disaster of major proportions within the county that jeopardizes the safety and county as an area of severed, extreme, or exceptional drought.

Burning is prohibited on a countywide basis until further notice and conditions that gave rise to the order no longer existing. The order also prohibits the explosion or ignition of any missile or skyrocket as the terms “missile” and “skyrocket” are defines by the 2012 edition of the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory, but shall not ban the explosion or ignition of any other consumer fireworks as the term “consumer fireworks.”

The order also does not apply to state agencies responsible for fire management or suppression activities and persons conducting agricultural burning using best management practices.

Severe drought, designated as D2, means likely crop or pasture loss likely, very high fire risk and common water shortages. Extreme drought, designated as D3, means major crop/pasture losses, extreme fire danger and widespread water shortages.

For more information, people may visit https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu.