Please, please be careful with your fires.
We’re at high risk for range fires and grass fires in the county, and that’s not going to abate until we get some much-needed rain.
A range fire erupted near the Reno/Harvey county line recently, and one firefighter suffered minor injuries responding to the event. With the high winds, these fires take a huge amount of resources to put out and also put first responders at risk.
As we write, the National Weather Service’s fire danger index for Reno County is in the “high” range, and it is forecasted to rise to “very high” before conditions improve.
An errant cigarette, a dragging car part, an outdoor cook fire, a poorly devised brush burn: it just takes one person’s mistake or bad decision to make a dangerous and difficult day for a large number of public employees.
While the area where these fires are most common is pretty sparsely populated, there is also the risk of loss of life and property.
And while more urban areas or other parts of the county may not be as at risk of a large-scale fire, even small grass fires can become difficult to manage with the windy, dry conditions we see.
So what to do?
First off, understand that there are prohibitions on open burns at certain times. These include brush burning and burning open areas.
If you plan on any such activities, Reno County Emergency Management must be notified by calling 620-694-2800 at least 30 minutes before starting a controlled burn—after you have your burn permit. Emergency Management spells out conditions for controlled burns at renocountyks.gov/Controlled-Burn-Guidelines.
What about smaller fires?
Open burning doesn’t include contained campfires, but in our opinion, when it’s dry and windy, these things aren’t a good idea, either.
Usually, folks are doing this kind of stuff at a campground or in their backyard. That said, what a quick way to ruin your afternoon or put your home at risk.
If you hear a scraping below your vehicle, it’s a good idea to get that fixed and figured out.
And please don’t toss cigarette butts out the window while driving.
We hope potential rain starting this weekend will substantially lower the fire danger, but until then, it’s best not to roll the dice.
The final recommendation is that if you see something, call it in. The quicker firefighters can respond, the easier these problems are to deal with. There might be times when you end up calling in an approved brush burn, but it’s better than taking the chance of delaying response on an uncontrolled wildfire.
The National Weather Service climate maps forecast that the next three months are more likely to be drier and hotter than average, versus cooler and wetter.
Most of Reno County, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, is in a state of moderate drought, but considering the future forecasts, that could worsen.
We might be dealing with this issue for a little bit or at least until the area greens up significantly.
We may as well be safe and smart.
– The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board