Put away the outdoor grill and don’t even think about burning brush. That’s the advice from seasoned firefighters amid recent advisories from the National Weather Service warning that the Vineyard is currently at high risk for fire, along with most of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Dry, windy conditions are the cause.

The risk was elevated over the past weekend when the weather service issued a red flag warning for a wide area of southern New England, including Dukes County, a rare event for the Island.

“A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly,” an alert that went out on April 16 said. “Any fires that start may spread rapidly and become difficult to extinguish.”

The weather service determines the level of fire danger by analyzing forecasts for temperature, winds, and relative humidity.

Dave Celino, chief fire warden for the Massachusetts Division of Conservation and Recreation, said Martha’s Vineyard is not typically included in red flag warnings.

“Humidity isn’t typically (low) over there,” Mr. Celino said. “We opted to include the Islands on Saturday because we hadn’t had any precipitation, and we knew the winds were going to be sustained above 20 miles per hour. Those roadside dormant and dead grasses are still dry, and you can expect a fire to start easily.”

Yesterday the weather service advised residents on the Vineyard of an elevated risk of fire in the afternoon and evening.

“Despite a brief band of scattered showers early this morning, rainfall amounts will be rather light keeping fine fuels quite dry, gusty winds may develop by mid to late in the afternoon, further adding to the risk,” an advisory said.

Across the state, about 60 small wildland fires were reported on Saturday, a number that is on the high end of the typical range for a weekend day. None of the fires spread beyond quick control.

“In conditions like this, a carelessly discarded cigarette butt, a campfire left unattended, those are the types of ignition sources that can easily start a fire,” Mr. Celino said. “We ask the public to remain vigilant.”

West Tisbury fire chief Manuel Estrella 3rd said when the weather service issues a red flag alert, no one should be burning brush without permission.

“We don’t issue any permits at all,” he said. Spring is the season for clearing brush and spring clean up, so requests for burn permits increase.

“They don’t like burning in the winter when there’s snow,” Chief Estrella said. “I try to tell them, if you’ve got a big pile, cover it, put a tarp over it,” he said. “Next time it snows, or you get a little rain, take the cover off and light it. Then it’s not going anywhere.”