(Le Mars) — The National Weather Services has issued a “Red Flag Warning” for today meaning strong winds with gusts up to 45 mph will occur, along with dry conditions, making grass and field fires very likely. Many of the fire departments were busy this past weekend including the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, along with the Akron Fire Department that responded to an uncontrolled fire located at 22958 Highway 3. Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper says the two fire departments spent the better part of Sunday afternoon battling the fire.
(photo contributed.)
Schipper says the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department also responded to a field fire late Saturday afternoon on 130th Street.
The Le Mars Fire Chief says nearly every fire department from the county had to respond to at least one grass and/or field fire during the weekend.
Schipper says in addition to fighting fires, Le Mars, Merrill, and Hinton were also busy during the weekend working at auto accident scenes. As for today, Schipper advises people not to start any burn pile fires. He says conditions may surprise people since it was a week ago when the area received nearly four inches of snow.
Today’s weather conditions, according to Schipper will not be favorable for fighting fires.
The National Weather Services says northwest Iowa is listed as an “Extreme Danger” category. Schipper offers some advice if you recently had a burn pile burning.
Schipper says people need to have some type of fire extinguishing methods close by. For farmers, he suggests having a tractor and tillage disk ready to surround the fire. For folks living in town, they should have a garden hose ready. Schipper is concerned if conditions persist, a burn ban may be issued by the State Fire Marshal’s office.
