As seasonal conditions increase the risk of wildfires across Ray County, the Richmond Fire Department is asking rural residents to heed National Weather Service (NWS) burn advisories – even if no local ordinance prohibits burning in their area. “Richmond Fire would just ask that citizens in our rural response area would make themselves aware of the fire conditions as advised by the National Weather Service and follow advisories before lighting outside fires,” said Richmond Fire Chief Mark Sowder. While city ordinances restrict outdoor burning within Richmond, the majority of the county remains unregulated, leaving critical fire prevention decisions up to individual property owners. Sowder emphasized voluntary compliance is essential for keeping people, property and emergency responders safe. “Fires that grow out of control are a problem on many levels,” stated Sowder. “Natural cover fires not only pose a risk to lives and property, but they also place emergency responders in harm’s…