Cleveland County residents cannot light outdoor fires until at least Oct. 5 after commissioners extended the countywide burn ban for a third time.

The Cleveland County Board of County Commissioners approved the extension Monday, Sept. 21, citing persistent fire danger, the Norman Transcript reported. The 14-day ban prohibits all fires, campfires, bonfires and the burning of trash or other materials.

Commissioners first issued the ban Aug. 13 during an emergency meeting, following a recommendation from Cleveland County Emergency Manager George Mauldin and local fire chiefs. Commissioners extended the ban on Aug. 26, Sept. 9, and again Sept. 21.

Under the county resolution, anyone convicted of violating the ban faces a misdemeanor charge carrying a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to one year, or both. Law enforcement officers statewide can enforce the ban. Residents may still cook outdoors using approved appliances but should use caution.

The extensions come as drought conditions persist across Oklahoma. The National Weather Service in Norman warned on X on Sept. 15 that fire weather across the region showed no signs of easing, with dry vegetation and low humidity creating conditions prone to wildfires. The agency issued another warning Sept. 16 that elevated fire danger had spread across central, west-central and southwest Oklahoma and into western north Texas.

Statewide, fires had burned about 5,200 acres and 53 counties were under burn bans as of Sept. 15, KGOU reported. Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus said the state was on track for its warmest September on record, surpassing the previous high set in 1931. That followed the third-warmest and fifth-driest August on record in Oklahoma.

Jacob Hickey, chief of the Cogar Volunteer Fire Department, told KGOU that conditions have left vegetation dormant statewide. "We haven't had rain in a really long time," Hickey said. "And with the extreme temperatures that we've had, it's just dried everything up."

The current ban expires Oct. 5. No decision on a further extension has been announced. Residents can report illegal burns or fire hazards to local law enforcement, which has authority to enforce the ban countywide.