MASON CITY – The Fire Chiefs of the fire departments in Cerro Gordo County requested the State Fire Marshal’s Office to lift the ban on open burning currently in effect in Cerro Gordo County. Effective 2:00 p.m. today, October 15, 2012, the ban was officially lifted by Iowa State Fire Marshal.
The cooler temperatures and rainfall over the past few days has slightly reduced the dry conditions across the County. “Even given the rainfall over the last few days, vegetation conditions are still very dry,” advises Mason City Fire Chief Bob Platts.
Although the open burning ban has been lifted, citizens are encouraged to take extra precautions when burning.
“There is still a lot of dry material which could cause a fire to quickly get out of hand,” according to Chief Platts. Citizens responsible for fires getting out of their control could be held responsible for the costs of their local fire department in controlling the blaze, along with reimbursement to property owners for damages. Large brush and leaf piles may have been built up over the 3 month burn ban, but rural area citizens are encouraged to burn in small amounts to assure that they keep control of their fires.
Anyone with any questions should contact the Fire Chief for their local fire department.
