BATON ROUGE — According to the National Weather Service, areas across Southeast Louisiana were at an increased risk for fire danger on Monday, due to low humidity and strong winds.  The NWS says the fire weather concerns were mostly between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

"Like today, for example, our relative humidity values were between 20 and 30 percent and that's kind of the threshold that forestry and the weather services agreed upon that is a critical value for fire weather, for fire concerns," Lead Forecaster at the National Weather Service New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Robert Frye, said.

Hillsdale Volunteer Fire Department advised residents to avoid outdoor burning, to carefully dispose of cigarettes and to ensure trailer chains aren't dragging and sparking.

"Avoid parking vehicles in dry grass or using equipment that could spark," officials added.

But, Frye says, as the week progresses, fire danger is expected to decrease.

"Say a fire does break out, it's not going to spread or be erratic, so there's less danger there; there's your limitation," he said.

Fire officials continue to emphasize the importance of taking extra precautions during the cooler temperatures.

"We're just telling people just be careful when they're burning anything," Public Information Officer for the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Justin Hill, said.

Hill says residents should be aware of how to safely use heating appliances.

"If they're using space heaters, treat them like an open flame, don't leave them unattended, plug them directly into the wall, whenever we leave a room, unplug them, whenever you go to sleep, unplug them, and keep anything that's flammable at least three feet away, that includes kids and pets," he said.

Hill says residents should make sure their furnaces and fireplaces are checked out by a qualified technician to make sure they're operating properly during the cold temperatures.

"Make sure you got working smoke alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors in the home," Hill said. 
Baton Rouge Fire Department reminds residents that open burning and fireworks are illegal in East Baton Rouge Parish.