The ground may be wet from melting snow and recent rain showers but the top most layer of the ground has dried from the heat of the sun. That drying increasing the chance of fires.

It's these dry leaves firefighters say can easily catch fire when people are outside burning debris and trash. Ohio law prohibits debris burning in unincorporated areas from 6 in the morning until 6 in the evening from March through May. Also during these months West Virginia law prohibits burning from seven in the morning until four in the afternoon. If damage results from an out of control fire during a burn ban criminal punishment is also a possibility.

Sgt. Jason Norman with the Washington Co. Sheriff's Office says "it is possible to face criminal charges. What people need to keep in mind is- if they don't have an adequate water source available, obviously there are some liability issues there if they catch somebody else's property on fire or do some damage to a structure they've started a fire too close to."

Officials say any burn needs to be a safe distance away from all structures and keep debris piles small and controllable. Plus have a rake or shovel readily available and stay on the site until the fire is completely out.