BROOKHAVEN — Fire danger, drought and burn ban persist in Lincoln County.

Fire fighters extinguished a grass fire on I-55 south of US84 Thursday. It was just the latest in a series of brush, grass and house fires in the county.

Fire is dangerous with the current weather conditions of low humidity, drought and gusty winds. National Weather Service in Jackson warns fires could spread quickly and get out of hand in a heartbeat going into the weekend.

Lincoln County is under a burn ban until further notice. This means citizens should not attempt open burning of any kind. People can help the local volunteer fire departments and Mississippi Forestry Commission by taking precautions.

People should heed the local burn, put up trailer chains  so they don’t drag on the roadways, limit the use of farming and mowing equipment and avoid parking in tall grass.

All it takes is one spark for a fire to get started and spread. A grass fire in Bogue Chitto Wednesday was caused by a squirrel chewing on a transformer. A forest fire in Ruth was started by grass heating up on the muffler of a lawn mower and another fire on the Lawrence and Lincoln County line was caused by a brush hog.

First responders had to fight a grass fire on California Road in the Loyd Star community Monday because someone was burning trash.

It is likely the fire danger will get worse before things get better. Mississippi Forestry Commission is busy fighting fires starting in October through April. Drought conditions are forecast to persist to November in Southwest Mississippi.