A Carbon County official is reminding residents that the extreme dry conditions the area has been seeing over the last month can easily start a brush fire.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners ratified a resolution declaring a disaster emergency in the county due to the wildfires and drought conditions. The resolution went into effect on Nov. 3.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, who also serves as a volunteer firefighter, said that he can’t believe people are still burning, even when burn bans are in effect.

“People don’t realize how far the debris (from a fire) can travel,” he said, pointing out that the ash and embers can float miles in the air and could possibly spark additional fires in other locations. “The burning embers can travel quite a distance.”

Nothstein also said that if the fire gets into the root system of trees, the dry conditions help keep fires smoldering underground for weeks, which could result in fire appearing weeks later if the conditions change.

“It’s very, very dry right now,” Nothstein said, adding that because of the conditions, it makes battling such fires more dangerous for responders.

During one response to a brush fire, Nothstein saw two trees fall from the fire while the firefighters were in the area.

On Friday, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the day, which means that gusty winds and low humidity can cause fires to spread quickly.

“Please, no burning and no cigarettes (being thrown out car windows),” Nothstein said.

Crews suspect one of the brush fires in the area, which one wasn’t announced, was caused by a cigarette being thrown out of a car.

“Please be careful out there,” he said.

Many communities in Carbon County had placed a burn ban in their municipalities toward the end of October. The state has also placed drought watches and warnings for many of the counties.

The next chance of rain comes Sunday, with showers during the day and a steadier rain, amounting to up to a half-inch, overnight.