Citing a high risk of fire danger in the North Country, the statewide burn ban has been extended to May 21, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The Adirondacks are considered to be at moderate fire risk, the DEC said.

“Open burning of debris is the largest single cause of spring wildfires in the state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said.

Dry conditions earlier in the month had fire departments on alert for brush fires when the National Weather Service issued a “Red Flag Warning” for St. Lawrence County emphasizing the danger a brush fire could pose, due to especially low humidity and high winds on top of already volatile conditions. There was no rain to speak of for the rest of the week, but the forecast called for rain over the weekend continuing into the week.