While three southwest Iowa counties (Mills, Montgomery & Pottawattamie) have instituted a burn ban, or plan to do so, Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNeese said there are no immediate plans to call for a burn ban in Cass County. McNeese said Cass County Emergency Management Director Mike Kennon has consulted with the district fire chiefs, and has determined there is no need to call for a ban on burning right now. McNeese said that doesn’t mean residents in the county shouldn’t take the necessary precautions before conducting any open burning. He says if the fires start to get out of hand or if there are a rash of uncontrolled burns, then a ban might be put into effect, but that’s not something they want to do right now. McNeese asks residents to use common sense and contact their district fire chief or department ahead of time, so crews know where to respond if the need arises.