JOHNSON COUNTY, KS (KCTV) -
The metro is under high alert for fires.
Olathe and Overland Park firefighters said they are growing increasingly concerned about this year's fire risks and want residents to do their part to prevent fires from flaring.
Already this summer, Olathe Fire Department has doused three times as many brush fires as they did last year.
"We want people to be aware that things are dry, when you walk across the lawn, or what's left of it, you hear nothing but crunch and that's all materials that can burn," Olathe Fire Captain Mike Hall said.
The Overland Park Fire Department issued a burn ban nearly two months ago, but it's now twice as concerned about fire dangers as it was then.
"The dry conditions we have in the grassy areas throughout the city have made it, let's say very dangerous for any spark, flare device. We're even considering our charcoal grills right now to be a hazard," Fire Marshall Mark Sweany said.
During a demonstration Hall showed that, within three seconds, an area of dry grass had quickly gone from having a spark land on it to an area a foot in circumference fully ablaze. Hall pointed out the spark that started the small fire was barely visible and it didn't take long at all for the flames to start moving, given strength by the winds.
With more hot and dry days ahead, the Johnson County fire departments are eager to educate residents about how they can help prevent fires. They're getting the word out by using social media sites and posting new signs on city roads.
"People need to be responsible for their actions. They need to be thinking about how the dry conditions and how they dispose of their charcoal grills, their cigarettes," Sweany said.
"So we ask people to think about what they are doing. If they have a hazard and choose to smoke, make sure if they are going to discard their cigarettes, they do so only when they are completely cool," Hall said.
Of the 121 brush fires the Overland Park Fire Department has fought this year, 27 have been caused by a discarded cigarette.
Both Overland Park and Olathe, KS, are cracking down on motorists who flick cigarettes into grassy areas. Officials can issue a fine up to $500 to those who violate the burn ban.
The Missouri Highway Patrol said troopers have been told to keep an eye out for drivers throwing cigarettes out their windows. The department is concerned they could spark brush fires during the extreme drought.
By Jami Brinton, KCTV
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
