NATCHEZ — This weekend might be perfect bonfire weather, but fire officials are asking residents to reconsider before taking the flame to the pile.

The National Weather Service in Jackson issued Friday a fire danger statement for 18 parishes and counties, including Catahoula and Concordia parishes and Adams, Franklin and Jefferson counties.

“According to area forestry commissions and the U.S. Forest Service, recent dry conditions have made outdoor burning increasingly hazardous,” the statement read.

“Conditions are such that a spark from equipment, the heat from a catalytic converter or any heat source could start a grass or brush fire. The combination of dry fine fuels, such as grass and relatively low humidity, have resulted in continued fire danger across the region.”

Adams County Fire Services Coordinator Darryl Smith said the fire service office is advising people to avoid burning.

“If the wind is blowing pretty good, (the fire) can get out of hand,” he said. “You never know what it can do, so we are advising people to be careful.”

Despite the warnings, no burn ban has been enacted in the affected areas.