MINNESOTA, USA — Nearly a third of Minnesota is in a ‘red flag’ fire warning due to dryness and sudden heat.
Spring fire season is officially underway.
"We've had a number of fires today and yesterday as well,” Allissa Reynolds says.
Reynolds is a Wildfire Prevention Supervisor with the Minnesota DNR.
She says nearly 1,000 part-time and full-time firefighters across the state are getting ready for a busy few weeks.
“The season usually starts in March and goes through May,” Reynolds explains.
There are nearly 50 field fire stations spread out across the state.
Reynolds says a location in Cambridge has already seen about 100 acres burned by wildfires.
“I’d say most of the fires we’ve seen are less than an acre burned, but we’ve had two that were about 40 acres or so,” Reynolds says.
This time of year most Minnesotans are more worried about the ground being too wet instead of too dry, but Reynolds says conditions can change in an instant.
“It can be raining or snowing in Minnesota in the morning and then one hour later it will be dry and ready to burn,” Reynolds says.
The firefighters have the experience and the equipment to fight these fires, they’re only asking for Minnesotans to help them out.
"A lot of people think they can just get out and burn their yard debris and the next day it will be fine. It's not always the case. A lot of these fires happen days after the people are done burning their debris and so we’re asking people to make sure their fires are out and not hot anymore when they leave them.”
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