OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The number of Oklahoma counties under a county burn ban is growing.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture's website, 21 counties were under a ban as of late Monday.
Just before the Independence Day holiday, only two counties — Beaver and LeFlore — were under county burn bans. Since then, Tulsa County officials have issued a burn ban, and Comanche, McIntosh, Pittsburg and Wagoner are among the counties that joined the list this week.
After Oklahoma's record-breaking summer last year, rainfall eased the extreme dry spell in many parts of the state.
Since late spring, however, precipitation has slowed and the heat has intensified, bringing drought conditions back to Oklahoma.
About a dozen of the counties under a county burn ban are located east of U.S. Highway 75.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.