Although the Independence Day fireworks are over, excessive heat and dry conditions still pose fire hazards across much of Kansas and a number of counties still have burn bans in place.
These counties include Anderson, Atchison, Barton, Bourbon, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Decatur, Edwards, Ellsworth, Ford, Franklin, Gove, Graham, Grant, Greenwood, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Johnson (also includes the cities Gardner, Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam, Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee), Labette, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Meade, Miami (Spring Hill only), Mitchell, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas and Trego counties.
Leavenworth County has a burn permit program countywide. People wanting to have an open burn need to call the Sheriff’s Office to obtain a burn permit and the citizen will either be granted a burn permit or denied pending on the conditions that day.
Geary and Riley Counties have a burn permit system in place for areas outside of city limits. Anyone wishing to conduct a burn must call in; the county fire chief will consider each burn request on an individual basis.
Stafford County has instituted a "strong restrictions" burn ban, which means burning is only allowed if a site visit has been conducted by the fire department and the site is deemed safe for burning beyond a reasonable doubt.
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