The state forester has issued a fire alert for all 67 counties in Alabama.

Dallas County’s Emergency Management Agency director Pam Cook encourages local residents to take precautions.

Here’s a few tips that can help keep you safe during dry weather.

Before lighting a barbecue, eliminate everything that may be hanging overhead and move the grill a safe distance away from trees, buildings, and other things that can burn.

Once they are cool, ashes and coals should always be placed in a metal container with a tight lid.

Do not use fireworks.

Carelessly discarded cigarettes, whether tossed from car windows or dropped on the sidewalk, start many fires each summer.

This habit can be very dangerous if the weather has been dry. Safely dispose of cigarettes in ashtrays.

Clean up wastepaper, long grass, weeds, litter, or anything that can burn from around buildings.

Remove dead plants or bushes as soon as possible.

Use precautions and stay safe during this dry weather. Other parts of Alabama and Georgia have already dealt with wildfires.

Let’s do our part to keep that from happening here.