The Douglas County Commission approved a burn ban for the unincorporated part of the county in a meeting Wednesday evening. It’s effective at least until Aug. 1, when the commission has its next scheduled meeting.

Jillian Rodrigue, assistant director of Douglas County Emergency Management, told the commissioners that the rangeland fire index for the area had moved to very high as of Wednesday and that several of the township fire chiefs had requested a ban.

Commissioner Nancy Thellman acknowledged that a storm had been predicted for Wednesday night, but even with some rain, “the sunshine is coming” and that conditions have already gotten so bad that “everywhere is fuel” for a potentially serious brushfire.

The resolution, which passed by unanimous vote, includes a declaration of local emergency and stipulates that noncompliance constitutes a misdemeanor.

The ban prohibits:

• Building, maintaining or using any open fire or camp fire “except in permanent stoves or fireplaces.”

• Burning fields, wild lands or trash.

• Careless use or disposal of smoking materials.

The commission will meet at 4 p.m. Aug. 1 on the second floor of the County Courthouse, 1100 Mass.