South Dakota Wildland Fire Division Director Jay Esperance strongly advises taking precautions to prevent and put out combine fires during harvest. Steps might include having a disk in the field, locating water tanks nearby and blowing chaff off combines to minimize the potential for fires.
"We are looking at high to very high fire danger for the western portion of the state. We need to be cautious that we don't inadvertently start fires," Esperance says.
Many counties are experiencing a high to very high fire danger.
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.
Grassland Fire Index Very High
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 Suppression's website at: http://sdda.sd.gov/WFS/division/statefireinformation/default.aspx
Source: SD Department of Agriculture