The lack of serious rain over the area has Warren County’s and Vicksburg’s emergency management officials urging people to use caution over the Labor Day weekend when they barbecue or do anything involving the use of fire.

Labor Day is traditionally considered the end of summer and observed with cookouts and fireworks, but officials said the current dry conditions could turn this weekend from a celebration to a tragedy if people aren’t careful.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Warren County is in what is considered “minimum drought conditions,” meaning the area has not received a significant amount of rain for sometime. According the records at the city’s water treatment plant on Haining Road, the last measurable rainfall was .08 inches Tuesday, which was the first rainfall since Aug. 25, and no significant rain is expected until possibly Tuesday.

And while neither the city nor the county are under a burn ban, people need to be sure when they burn they have an accessible water source available.

“Under these conditions, people can burn a house down very easily. They can start a grass fire very easily,” Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said.

“People just need to use common sense,” Warren County Fire Coordinator Jerry Briggs said. “Be careful and have water nearby.”

While there is no problem with barbecuing outside, Vicksburg Fire Chief Charles Atkins said anyone planning an open burn this weekend to burn items like branches, limbs and leaves, needs to get the fire department’s approval before going ahead.

“If they will call us, we will send out a truck and look at the area,” he said. “If there are no problems, we will give it an OK.”

He said the biggest problem the fire department has during the holiday is people throwing still-glowing cigarettes out of car windows and causing a grass fire along the roadside.

“The best policy is if you don’t have to burn outside, don’t,” Elfer said. “If you barbecue, make sure the coals are cold, either by water or by time, before you dump them out.”