BAYARD, Neb. -- The Fire Department said burn permits are a difficult decision due to drought conditions and fire risk.

On Monday, the Bayard Volunteer Fire Department announced on Facebook that they are considering issuing a limited amount of burn permits over the next few days.

The BVFD said Bayard and other portions of the Panhandle are currently under drought and high fire risk conditions.

As well as the poor weather conditions, BVFD said there are some water supply limitations in the county due to the water tower being maintained. 

“Issuing permits at this time means we are placing a huge amount of faith in those parties to be responsible with their burns,” BVFD said.

For burn permits to be allowed the department listed the rules and regulations for permits;

The fire must be in a contained area.

There must be control methods or resources available nearby to put out fire.

Individuals must remain nearby and keep the burn under observation until the fire is out.

The windspeed must be slower than 10 to 15 miles per hour, and humidity must be above 25 percent.

The permits are good for specific days only and will be issued no more than three days ahead of time.

The fire officer issuing the permit will make an inspection of the proposed burn area prior to issuing a permit.

BVFD said if there are issues with unsupervised burns or fires getting out of control, burn permits will be suspended again.

Chief of the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department Matt Butts said due to the extremely dry conditions, no burn permits will be issued.