Outdoor fires are prohibited under the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s statewide burn ban, but people who want to do some grilling outside in the crisp fall air over the weekend will be able to cook those ribs and burgers, according to information from the commission.

Grilling is the only outdoor burning allowed under the ban.

The statewide burn ban issued in early October because of dry conditions covers all but six of Mississippi’s 82 counties and remains in effect until further notice, Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said. The city extended its burn ban until further notice Oct. 31. Elfer said the county has not acted to extend its burn ban, relying on the statewide ban.

“If the state lifts its ban, then we’ll make a decision,” he said.

According to information from the Forestry Commission Thursday, propane and gas grills, propane and gas heaters, and charcoal grills are permitted under the burn ban, as long as people using them follow the manufacture’s instructions and the units are watched and safely kept away from combustible materials.

“The grills are up off the ground and they have tops that can be used to cover them,” Vicksburg Fire Chief Charles Atkins said. “And you have people watching them.”

Elfer agreed, adding people who use charcoal grills “need to make sure the fires are out and the coals and ashes are cool before they get rid of them.”

Outdoor heating devices, such as fire pits or chimineas, an outdoor chimney that burns wood, are prohibited under the ban.

“Using them is not a good idea,” Elfer said.

“They can spread sparks that can cause fires,” Atkins said, adding he has received calls from people who own outdoor pits about using them.

Besides the fire pits and chimineas, campfires, bonfires, fire rings, burn barrels, debris burning, fireworks, field burning — anything with an open flame that produces an ember is prohibited under the ban, according to the Forestry Commission release, because of the threat of glowing embers spreading from the open fires and setting fires elsewhere.

Anyone who violates the burn ban is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined not less than $100 and not more than $500, which are enforced by county sheriffs.

Besides a fine, someone who sets a fire is responsible for the fire and the smoke it generates. If a fire escapes and burns or damages property, the person who set the fire is liable for the damage.