Northwest Iowa — There has been a rash of field fires in northwest Iowa over the past several days. And considering the dry conditions, warm temps, and harvest activity out in the fields, it’s not really a surprise.
Since last Thursday, in the four-county O’Brien, Sioux, Osceola, and Lyon county area, we’ve counted no fewer than 12 field or combine fires. And that’s not counting the other kinds of calls such as automobile accidents, false fire alarm calls, and other kinds of minor fire calls. And if you expand outside of our area just a bit, the total is even higher.
The fire chiefs we’ve been talking to continue to remind farmers to leave a tractor and a disk (harrow) hooked up and ready to roll in case of fires. They say that can really be the factor in how much loss the fire causes. Even if you end up having to disk under standing crops, it’s much better to lose a small amount of crop than have the whole field go up in flames, or worse, start a fire in your neighbor’s field or start something more important on fire like a building, farm equipment, or a vehicle.
Also, especially during this busy harvest season, fire officials want us to ask you to take time to clean out your equipment of dry leaves and stalks, which can easily turn to kindling for a fire. And make sure your equipment is well-maintained, as hot equipment or sparks are often the ignition source. If you smoke, be very careful with spent smoking materials, and don’t toss them outside.
Not that any of the recent fires were started on purpose, but emergency officials remind us that there are burning bans for Sioux and O’Brien counties in our area and a burning ban was put into place on Saturday for Osceola County too. Recreational fires such as grills and attended fire pits are OK, but all other kinds of fires are prohibited. You can call the county Sheriff’s office to get in contact with officials who can still issue you a burning permit in some situations, but burning without a permit in those counties is a misdemeanor offense.
There is a chance of showers in the weather forecast, but fire officials tell us if there’s a good wind, the moisture evaporates very quickly.
