Butler County once again was struck by fire-prone conditions over the weekend that had firefighters scrambling.

“We understand with the nice weather folks are wanting to clean up outside; however, the conditions are creating too high of a risk of open burning,” said Rob McLafferty, Butler County 911 coordinator.

According to McLafferty, there were 26 brush fires in the county from Thursday until 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

One of those calls, in West Sunbury on Saturday, was only two hours after firefighters from West Sunbury and Unionville departments left back-to-back vehicle crashes that involved injuries.

“(The fire) wasn't too bad, but yeah, we were busy,” said Unionville Fire Chief Nathan Wulff.

McLafferty said the multitude of brush fires has created a strain on fire departments.

“A large portion of these fires have required multiple fire companies to contain them,” he said. “While the agencies are fighting these brush fires, they're unable or limited in their response to other activities going on, such as house fires, accidents and medicals.”

The conditions over the past four days have been severe enough that the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh issued a special weather statement Sunday afternoon.

According to the statement, low relative humidity, dry fine fuels and gusty winds created a heightened risk for wildfires.

“Open burning of any type is considered extremely dangerous at this time,” the statement said. “Any small fires could rapidly grow if they escape control.”

David Shellenberger, a meteorologist with the service, said these conditions are created from high pressures, and are likely to continue reoccurring now that the region has entered its dry season.

“Any flow we get from the northwest will be a dry wind,” he said. “We're not getting moisture off the lake.”

Toward the end of Sunday, Shellenberger expected some temporary relief.

“It's going to get even drier; however, we're going to see some recovery in our dew points,” he said. “We have a warm front impacting the area Monday night.”

Shellenberger said forecasts show only about an estimated 1/4 inch of rain forecast for Monday and Tuesday, and the county could see another dry spell starting Wednesday until another storm later in the week arrives with an estimated inch of rain.

Shellenberger said during dry spells, the slightest spark could create a fire on dry vegetation, like grasses and leaves. He said cautions is urged any time someone is having a fire to burn debris or recreationally.

“All it takes is a little spark, and you can get a chain reaction,” Shellenberger said.

McLafferty said some of these fires have also cause significant damage to properties and homes, and he hopes everyone will consider the risks when thinking about burning when it's dry out.

“Sadly, we've lost several small buildings and other properties to these fires,” McLafferty said. “It just makes the risk of burning not worth the benefit.”