Primghar, Iowa — The burning ban in O’Brien County has been lifted as of 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5th, according to O’Brien County Emergency Manager Jared Johnson.
Even after the recent rain, conditions are still dry under the surface, to be sure. The latest drought monitor report still lists all of our counties as being in severe drought. Only 38 percent of northwest Iowa topsoil has adequate moisture. That is up significantly from a week ago, when it was only 21 percent, according to the weekly USDA crop report.
The O’Brien County Board of Supervisors and the State Fire Marshal’s office have determined that enough risk has been eliminated that the burning ban could be lifted.
Burning bans are put in place to prohibit open burning in unincorporated areas when the fire marshal finds that conditions are such that open burning constitutes a danger to life or property.
What we commonly call a “burning ban” should really be called an “open burning ban,” as certain kinds of fires are permitted. Emergency management officials tell us fires in barbeque grills, covered fire pits, barrels covered by a mesh screen, and incinerators are all OK. Plus, you can also get a permit to do open burning during a burning ban if officials believe the risk is low enough and other conditions are met.
Again, the burning ban in O’Brien County has been lifted. The burning ban for Osceola County was lifted last week. But the burning bans in Sioux and Lyon counties, at last report — were still in place.
A little further away, burning bans remain in Plymouth and Clay counties, but the ban for Cherokee County has also been lifted.
A map of active burning bans and those that have been lifted can be found here.
