Press Release from South Dakota Department Of Agriculture
RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire is asking ranchers and farmers to take extra precautions to prevent wildfires when harvesting crops this fall.
The dry fuel conditions along with the warm and windy weather the state is experiencing make conditions ripe for extremely fast-moving prairie fires.
South Dakota Wildland Fire chief of operations Jim Strain strongly advises precautions, such as having a disk ready in the field, locating water tanks nearby and blowing chaff and dust off combines to minimize the potential for fires.
“We are looking at high to very high fire danger for the western and central portion of the state. We need to be cautious that we don't inadvertently start fires,” Strain said.
A fire will start easily in the dry conditions and have the potential to become large and erratic, with extreme fire behavior. If a burn ban is in place in a county, no outdoor burning should take place.
Daily updates for the both the Black Hills Fire Danger and the Grasslands Fire Index can be viewed at South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire website at: http://sdda.sd.gov/wildland-fire/state-fire-information/fire-danger/.
For Fire Restrictions in other states:
Montana: http://firerestrictions.us/mt/
North Dakota: http://firerestrictions.us/nd/
Wyoming: http://www.wy.blm.gov/wy_fire_restrictions/
Source: South Dakota Department Of Agriculture
Posted by Jami Howell
