(Hillsboro)--Montgomery County Board Chairman Roy Hertel is asking residents to be extremely careful with outside fires and to avoid burning if possible because of increased numbers of ground and timber fires in the past week.

Residents are asked not to burn unless they can monitor and control the fire. All fire departments in Montgomery County have been called to several ground fires in the past week. Many fires were started by residents who were not able to contain the spread of the fire on their own, and local fire departments were called in to battle the blaze which at times encompassed several acres.