The Okotoks Fire Department is starting to see more variety in the calls they respond to as the weather begins to warm up.

The 18 calls the department responded to in the past week included a fire pit complaint and a barbeque fire.

Ken Thevenot, Okotoks fire chief, says it's important people remember spring cleaning applies to their barbeques as well.

"If you haven't used your barbeque since last summer or if you used it in the winter just make sure you give it a good cleaning, get the ash and debris out of the bottom of the barbeque and clean it out well so you won't have anything sparking or lighting up beside your barbeque."

Thevenot adds people need to be cautious about what they're burning in their fire pits.

"I would say right now we're starting to hit some warm weather so just a reminder for people if they're not sure what they can burn in the fire pit they can phone down or go online to get their questions answered," he says. "It's got to be clean, dry wood, it's the only thing that is allowed in fire pits."

On the topic of fires, Thevenot is also reminding residents to make sure they call the department to report any sightings of what they believe could be a grass fire as early detection could potentially prevent the fire from spreading.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com