With the weather warming up, a local figure in the Perry community is warning people when it comes to burning materials in rural areas.

According to Perry Fire Chief Grason Hill, the lack of snow within the state of Iowa has caused the winter season to be dryer than normal. He understands the spring season is here and people may be tempted to burn things, but cautions them to wait until there is some moisture.

“Everything is so incredibly dry. People need to hold off before they start burning stuff, until we get a little bit of rain and get some moisture in the ground. It seems like we’ve had several small fires between the ditches and the woodpiles.”

He suggests waiting until a good amount of rain comes before burning outside materials in rural areas.