Fire departments in several central Missouri cities have stopped issuing burn permits because of dry conditions and several have banned open fire burning all together. Columbia’s fire department issued a burn ban Tuesday morning. The department will not issue any burn permits and discourages any open burning such as bonfires. Officials say the low humidity and dry vegetation creates a high risk for fire. The Stephens Lake Park and Kiwanis Park bonfire pit are closed for now.
Parks Services Manager Gabe Huffington says the park rangers will enforce the burn ban: "We’ll pull all the wood from that bonfire pit and put a sign up that basically there’s no burning at this time due to the fire ban that’s in Columbia.”
Fire Departments in Mexico, Rolla and Moberly also recently issued a burn ban. The ban will be in effect until further notice.