WASHINGTON (AP) - Windy and dry conditions have prompted the National Weather Service to issue a fire warning throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

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The red flag warning issued through Sunday evening for most of Maryland, northern Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C., advises people to be extremely careful with fire because the conditions are ideal for "explosive fire growth potential."

Regional rainfall is about four inches below normal.

Maryland State Forester Steven Koehn says staff is considering issuing a burn ban, but conditions don't yet warrant one. He says crews responded to fires that involved Gunpowder Falls State Park in Baltimore County and South Mountain State Park near Wolfsville in Frederick County.

Baltimore's Department of Public Works is reminding residents that grilling, campfires and outdoor cooking are prohibited in watersheds.