No Burn Order Lifted as Weather Conditions Improve

Recent cooler temperatures and rain have allowed county officials to lift a no-burn order that has been in place for much of the summer.

The Warren County Commission, at the request of fire chiefs from Warrenton, Wright City and Marthasville, agreed to lift the burn ban last Thursday, Aug. 9.

The no-burn order had been in place since June 28. During that time, county residents were prohibited from open burning of any kind.

Warrenton Fire Chief Mike Owenby said fire officials will continue to monitor the situation. If needed, the ban could be reinstituted.

He said he appreciates the public’s cooperation throughout the ban.

“We didn’t want to issue a no-burn order, but we felt it was the safest thing to do,” he said. “Folks really were careful. We didn’t have a whole lot of incidents. It could have been worse. They did a fabulous job of complying with the no-burn order.”

Around an inch of rain fell last Wednesday night, Aug. 8. The blistering heat also has been replaced by more pleasant temperatures in the past week.

“We thought it would be beneficial to the public,” Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. “That would allow them to clean up stuff with the cooler weather. Hopefully it works out. Hopefully we get enough rain so we don’t have to reinstitute it.”

Owenby said nearly all of the fire calls his department responded to were minor in nature, though 5 to 6 acres did burn at a property north of Warrenton off North Rock Church Road. He advised residents to continue to use caution when burning.

“The ground cover is starting to green up,” Owenby said. “That is a sign moisture is staying in it. Our biggest concern was a little bit of rain wasn’t enough. Every little bit was soaking into the ground.”

—recnews@centurytel.net