With the lush green of West Virginia summer just about gone and extreme drought conditions persisting, state officials are warning residents to take Gov. Jim Justice’s outdoor burning ban seriously. West Virginia Division of Forestry Region 1 Forester Rudy Williams said he has been in his job for 43 years, and this is the third time he’s ever seen a drought like this in the state. And this one “is the worst drought I have experienced,” he said. There are a lot of repercussions if someone breaks the outdoor burning ban, Williams said. There’s a citation that says ‘permitting fire to escape to the lands of another,’ and that has happened before,” he said. Bridgeport Fire Chief Phil Hart said his city is bone-dry too.