One person was killed Wednesday afternoon in Jasper County, after a pickup collided with a car, which then struck a pedestrian. The Iowa State Patrol says 24-year old Steven G. Hall, of Atlantic, was driving a 2012 Dodge Ram truck westbound on Interstate 80 about two-miles east of Mitchellville, when he ran into the back of a 2002 Dodge Intrepid, driven by 29-year old Kathleen Eckert, of Newton. Following the impact, Eckert’s car hit 23-year old Adam J. Baumert, of Des Moines, who was on the road removing debris. Baumert died at the scene. The accident, which happened at around 1:05-p.m., remains under investigation.

Des Moines, IOWA — The State Fire Marshal reminds Iowans two-thirds of the state remains under a burn ban.  (A chart of the affected counties can be found at http://www.dps.state.ia.us/fm/main/burnbans/index.shtml) In the KJAN listening area, that includes Cass, Audubon, Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, Madison, Carroll, Crawford, Fremont, Page and Taylor Counties. Shelby County is not included in a burn ban, but the County is under a HIGH FIRE DANGER alert.

With this in mind, State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds is offering more information on the most common questions submitted to his office on camp fires, community fireworks shows, and issuing citations for violations of a burn ban.

Law enforcement and fire officials have issued citations throughout Iowa for violations of Iowa code 100.40.  Violating a state issued burn ban is a simple misdemeanor requiring an appearance in court.  Reynolds says they have received “Several calls from fire and police agencies asking about issuing citations to violators of the burn ban.” He says it’s his goal to warn Iowans that this is not the time to burn, so they aren’t faced with a citation.  Reynolds said however, that “We haven’t seen such lengthy burn bans or such dry conditions for some time,”  so he anticipates more citations in the coming weeks.

He offered some common sense advice during burn bans:
1) In many places, camp fires are permitted if supervised and contained in an enclosed area with brick, metal, or grate lining to prevent fires from escaping the confines of the fire pit.  Again, direct supervision is the key!  Even if you think the fire is extinguished when done, add water or sand to be sure. Be sure to check with your local fire department as some cities or counties may not permit open recreational fires during a burn ban.
2) Community fireworks are permitted with added safety precautions.  Things like wetting a hillside or establishing a fire watch with extinguishers are good preventative steps.  However, cities and fireworks blasters hold 100% of the liability for fires.
3) The fact a person wants to burn brush and has years of experience burning brush doesn’t necessitate open burning.  Very few controlled fires are necessary or required.  If a permit has been issued by the local fire chief, all fire prevention precautions should be implemented to prevent a controlled fire from becoming uncontrolled.

State Fire Inspector Dan Wood said “We are asking for people to use a little common sense when striking the match. “he adage, ‘Only you can prevent forest fires.’ holds true especially with these dangerously dry conditions, ” according to Wood.

The number of vegetation fires in the first six months of 2012 has exceeded all of the grass fires for 2010 and has nearly reached the 2011 year end total.  You can learn more about vegetative fires from Iowa’s fire reporting data.

If citizens have questions on the issuance of a burn ban in a region of the state, they can visit the State Fire Marshal Website to identify the local authority requesting the burn ban in that area.

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest this (Wednesday) morning, of 22-year old Justin Jacobs, of Atlantic. Jacobs was taken into custody on a charge of Public Intoxication/2nd offense. He was booked into the Cass County Jail and held, pending a court appearance.

Police in Clarinda report one person was arrested following an altercation Tuesday night at an apartment complex. 37-year old Robert Jeffrey Stevens, of Clarinda, faces a misdemeanor charge of Disorderly conduct, after authorities were called to the Parkview Apartments at around 11:15-p.m. following a reported “Fight in Progress.” Stevens was brought to the Page County Jail and held on $325 bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

The Clarinda P.D. reports also, 71-year old Ray Emerson Hoffman, of Blanchard, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a misdemeanor charge of 5th degree theft, after he was caught allegedly stealing an item from the Hy-Vee Food Store in Clarinda. Hoffman was detained by employees until police arrived. He was later released on a Personal Recognizance bond, pending a court appearance that was set for August 29th.