JOPLIN, Mo. — Fallen leaves can be an aesthetic nuisance in your yard this time of year, but fire officials want you to think twice before piling them up and burning them.

Right now, the leaves are dry, there’s low humidity, and we’re expecting some gusty winds through Thanksgiving. If you must burn, protocol is usually to check with the fire department first before burning — including purchasing a burn permit if you’re in the city of Joplin.

No burn permit could result in a ticket. But, with winds expected to gust over 30 miles per hour this week, fire officials say just don’t do it.

“They burn fast, they burn hot. They could get into a structure really, really quickly. And you could lose your house, you could lose your garage, your vehicle. You could lose a neighbor’s house, garage. Destroy some land, property. It could get out of hand very, very quickly,” said Mark Cannon, JFD Interim Fire Chief.

Instead of burning leaves, take advantage of your city’s leaf pick-up program. For Joplin, that will be held on November 29th.