Even with recent snowfall melting into the ground the past few days, conditions are ripe for grass fire activity.
The snowfall hasn’t helped dormant grasses that have been dry for months, and weather conditions are expected to be mild and breezy for most of the week ahead — meaning a high to very high fire danger for at least Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. With several notable grass fires already over the past month, including several still under investigation as arson by Lyon and Chase county deputies, more attention is coming for Lyon County’s new online burn reporting policies.
On KVOE’s Talk of Emporia recently, Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell said the paper permits in place since 2006 have gone away. Instead, residents can go online to www.lyoncounty911.org/burn to fill out a short form at the start and the end of their burn process.
Lyon County first made the announcement last year. Fell says it’s a fast and easy process for landowners to report their activity. It also relieves pressure on Lyon County’s emergency dispatchers, who can field hundreds of fire-related and other calls per day during the grass fire season, and it helps Fell and fire departments allocate resources if fires go out of control.
Residents who are not online-savvy can still call Lyon County Emergency Communications at 620-343-4225 to report their burns. They will have to call at the start and the end of the burn activity.
Click here for a link to Lyon County’s online burn reporting page.
