Recent hot and dry weather has raised the risk of wildfire in many parts of Michigan.
The state Department of Natural Resources is urging people to take extra precautions, especially as the July 4th holiday approaches.
Paul Rogers is with the DNR.
“We’re starting to see a lot of drying in the grasses and leaves. And as folks are probably noticing now, their yards are starting to actually dry up and die," he said. "So, that’s a very good indicator that we’re starting to see fire conditions again.”
Restrictions on burning yard waste are already in place for a number of northern counties.
Rogers says the these conditions are normal for Michigan’s summers. But this year, the fire risk arrived early.
“It’s a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Normally, we hold our moisture through June and then into parts of July. But this year, we did dry out. We have seen some very high temps.”
Rogers says people should be cautious about any types of fire this time of year, including fireworks.