Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

(Glenwood) -- Mills County residents hoping to conduct open burns over the weekend will need to change plans or acquire permission from their local fire chiefs.

That's according to Mills County Emergency Management Director Gabe Barney, who tells KMA News the county will implement a burn ban beginning Saturday, August 6, at 8 a.m. The ban prohibits all open burning in Mills County, including all cities within the county. Barney says abnormally dry air conditions and temperatures, along with the possibility of high winds, prompted the discussion of a ban. But, he adds fire chiefs also have been reporting multiple calls along Interstate-29 for brush fires.

"It also had to do with a couple of grass fire calls -- nothing too big right now -- but we want to be a little bit preventative before things got too crazy," said Barney. "If people were planning on burning too much on the weekend, making sure they were taking the proper precautions before then. It's just preventative action right now, because there's writing on the wall that it could get a little bit nasty."

While rain is in the forecast for Sunday night into Monday, Barney says sunny and dry conditions are expected to return later next week.

He says those who wish to perform an open burn during the ban can obtain a permit by contacting their local fire chief.

"They know all the paperwork that you need to get done and get a sign off from them, and they'll go through their own actions per jurisdiction for the best way to go about if you're going to burn -- if they'll have people watch you or whatever it may be," said Barney. "Coming from State Fire Marshal code 100.40, this will be added for the use of outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, and properly supervised landfills."

Additionally, the ban encourages citizens to avoid using fireworks or other items that produce flame or sparks and throwing cigarettes out of moving vehicles. Barney adds burning trash is allowed in incinerators made of metal, concrete masonry, and heavy wire mesh with no openings greater than one square inch.

Given the dry and possibly windy conditions, Barney says a small burn can quickly turn into a county-wide emergency if not properly handled.

"It depends on what fuel is out in the area that people are burning, and by fuel I mean, what underbrush there may be somewhere and depending on if the wind gusts come through where you're at, it can add to a big, county-wide emergency," said Barney. "And that's why we have the preventative, since it's county wide, you don't want all your jurisdictions and volunteers going out on the same call trying to stop a fire that could have been prevented if people took the proper measures."

While the National Weather Service's wildfire outlook was fairly low in July, Barney says the August and September outlooks look more prime for brush fires. Barney says the ban will likely last through at least next week. A copy of the ban proclamation from the State Fire Marshal's Office is available below:

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