By Annabeth iller,
ShowMe Times Editor

On the heels of Tuesday’s field fires that stretched more than 11 miles and closed  a major Southeast Missouri highway for a time – and with no rain in the forecast - the City of Dexter joins the growing number of area communities taking steps to prevent fires during this summer’s drought.

Dexter Fire Chief Don Seymore announced Wednesday morning the city has issued  “No Burn Order” for the city. This means that all burning in the city limits is forbidden until further notice.

Seymore also said the city will enforce a long-standing ordinance prohibiting fireworks in the city. The ordinance outlaws the fire of all fireworks in the city, including on the Fourth of July holiday.

“They will be enforcing this ordinance,” Seymore said.

In addition, the fire chief said the Fourth of July Fireworks Display sponsored by the City of Dexter has been postponed until further notice.

Missouri State Fire Marshall Randy Cole notes that May 2012 was one of the driest Mays on record for Missouri. According to NOAA, the one-year period from June 2011 to May 2012 was the warmest such period recorded for Missouri. The result is an elevated fire risk. 

“This year's extremely dry conditions elevate the risk that even small sparks created by consumer fireworks can lead to grass and brush fires, which can rapidly spread” he noted.

 A number of area communities join Dexter in issuing “no burn” orders, including Bloomfield, Sikeston, and Parma.