Total Outdoor Burn Ban For Olmsted County Until Further Notice
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Heading into the long Labor Day Holiday weekend, Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson today issued a burn ban for all of Olmsted County.
The Sheriff's Office says the burn ban is due to elevated fire conditions throughout the region. It went into effect Friday afternoon and will remain in effect until further notice.
The burn ban prohibits all open burning, including recreational fires and campfires. It also prohibits burning of any kind, even if a previous permit was issued.
The Sheriff's Office says the decision to institute the burn ban was made with guidance from Rochester Fire Chief Eric Kerska, the fire chiefs of several other Olmsted County fire departments, and the National Weather Service. The concern is that breezy winds, hot temperatures, very low humidity, and extreme drought conditions have greatly heightened the risk of fast-moving wildfires.
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