Dry conditions caused by lack rain coupled with low humidity and periods of high winds have forced Warren County officials to put the county under a burn ban effective immediately.

The Board of Supervisors declared the ban Monday. County fire coordinator Jerry Briggs said the ban will be in effect for 30 days unless extended by the board.

“We haven’t had any rain for a while,” Briggs said. “We’re supposed to get some rain tonight, but it’s only expected to be about one-tenth of an inch. That won’t be enough as dry as it is, and this is the time of the year when people want to burn leaves, so we thought we’d get a jump on that. Instead of burning people will have to bag their leaves.”

According to the U.S. Drought index, most of Warren County is in the severe drought area, with the northeast part of the county in an extreme drought area.

Briggs said other counties in the state have already declared burn bans. According to the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s website, 25 Mississippi counties have made declarations.

In Vicksburg, Fire Chief Charles Atkins said he is going to wait before asking the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to declare a burn ban for the city.

“Right now, we’re in pretty good condition,” he said. “We’ve had some rain recently, and no one has been burning leaves or trash. We’ve has some grass fires along the roads, but nothing major.”

He said anyone considering burning trash or leaves should call the fire department and have firefighters look at the situation before burning.