(KTNC) --  The Nebraska State Fire Marshal is warning of the continuing danger of wildfires in the state. The wildfire danger status is either “high” or “very high” for most counties in the state, according to the latest fire danger map from the Nebraska Forest Service.
 Officials say a lack of moisture and recent high winds, combined with individuals failing to exercise the proper level of caution, is a combination for disaster.
 Wildfires generally occur in the countryside or a wilderness area. But they can also occur along roads, in fields, forests, and residential acreages.
 Statistics from the Forestry Service indicate the cause of most wildfires has a human component, primarily debris burning.
 Fire Marshal Jim Heine says there are a few steps that can avoid unnecessary wildfires.  Those include:
 -Obtain required permits from local fire officials before burning.
 -Avoid burning in windy weather, as wind increases a fire’s intensity, increases the potential for the fire to spread, and decreases the ability to control the fire.
 -Avoid throwing lit cigarettes on the ground, and do not throw lit smoking materials out of a moving vehicle onto dry vegetation.
 -And never leave a fire unattended and make sure a fire is extinguished before leaving it.
 Nebraska has a continuous ban on open burning. The ban is always in effect, unless it has been waived in writing on the prescribed permit form.  The local fire chief or their designee issues the permits.
 Anyone who intends to burn when the ban has been waived is required to notify the fire chief of his or her intention before starting to burn.
 The Nebraska Forest Service updates its fire danger map daily on its website. The National Weather Service fire weather data are also available online.