Drought conditions have led to more mulch and grass fires throughout the city of Peoria this summer. Melanie Anderson is the Peoria division chief of fire prevention. She says exceedingly dry conditions mean some everyday activities could spark a fire.

“Individuals may be used to throwing their cigarette butts outside. Well you can’t do that during this time of year. I know we’ve had rain the past couple of days, but it’s still dry out there, and an innocently thrown cigarette butt can actually spark a grass fire which can lead into a hour fire,” says Anderson.