FENTON, Mo. — On Wednesday a Red Flag Warning was issued for most of the St. Louis area.
That means temperature, wind and low humidity. All the elements for fire to spread fast.
"The biggest thing is the high wind, so if a spark were to get out fire would spread very quickly," said Fenton Fire Department Batallion Chief Michael Marks.
It's why the Fenton Fire Department has a brush truck equipped with a nozzle and side sprayers to stay ahead of the flames.
"We are part of a strike team so if a brush fire or wildland fire anywhere in this area this truck and other trucks will respond," added Marks.
Most of the calls the department gets are small brush fires near homes.
But the good news is preventing them is pretty simple.
"Keep your leaves, pine needles, twigs, branches away from your home and maybe put some mesh around your decking," added Marks.
And with fall weather moving in you may want to think twice about burning those leaves if you live in St. Louis County.
"You're not allowed to burn any yard waste like leaves, sticks, twigs, branches, things like that unless you have more than 3 acres," said Fire Marshall Chris Theimann.
Right now fire experts recommend not burning all together, but if you have to there's one big thing you need to remember.
"Stay with that fire and make sure it's completely extinguished before you leave the area," added Marks.
To view the full list of burning regulations in St. Louis County click here.
