Some burn bans lifted in Central IL, but fire chief still urging caution

CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Burn bans are being lifted for some cities and counties in Central Illinois.

Christian and Moultrie counties are two of them and it’s all thanks to rain over the weekend.

Chris Wright, Sullivan’s Fire Chief, said that even with the burn ban lifted, you should still be very careful; field fires easily ignite in the dried out farm fields.

“The easiest fire that we fight is the one that we can prevent,” Wright said.

This still rings true for him, even after the burn ban was lifted in Moultrie County. Wright remembered the fire in his district that led to the ban there.

“A controlled fire had spread quickly. It involved a structure and three vehicles,” Wright said.

He said that the dry and windy conditions sparked concerns, but things calmed down after this weekend.

“We’ve had favorable weather conditions over the weekend, with some rain, cooler temperatures,” Wright said.

A lifted burn ban isn’t the only positive thing that happened after the rain. Farmers are also grateful.

“It definitely is going to help our situation as far as worrying about field fires, so we’re happy for anything we can get as this point,” Moultrie County Farm Bureau’s Vice President, Lucas Roney, said.

However, farmers still aren’t comfortable. Roney said that they’re nowhere near being out of drought conditions in Moultrie County.

“We could sure use a lot more,” Roney said as he talked about the rainfall.

He is still encouraging farmers to be diligent about what can cause field fires.

“Preventative maintenance is probably the best thing we can do to prevent some of these,” Roney said.

He’s not the only one that reminded people to be cautious.

“We still encourage using fire safe practices when you’re having recreational fires, which is a big thing in our district,” Wright added.

WCIA 3’s weather team is also encouraging people to avoid using fire. To keep up to date about dry conditions and rain chances, you can download the WCIA 3 weather app for the latest.