The weather in Lycoming County and northern Pennsylvania has been dry lately — as the busy days our firefighters have faced demonstrate.

We hope our readers will heed their words in our Friday edition — comply with burn bans, and if your community has not issued a burn ban or when your community lifts its burn ban, take additional precautions.

As the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources notes, about 99% of wildfires in Pennsylvania are caused by people’s choices.

Clinton County’s Department of Emergency Serivces advises residents of our region to avoid outdoor burning at this time, properly dispose of cigarettes, keep vehicles off of dry grasses and, if you see an unattended fire, report it immediately.

It’s good advice, for throughout the year but especially during these dry and windy days ahead of Spring.

We believe if more people follow this advice, the number of fires that require the hard work of our firefighters to extinguish can be reduced and our neighborhoods and communities can be a little safer.