SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEWS RELEASE
 

For Immediate Release: Sept. 12, 2012
Media Contact: Beth Hermanson, 605-381-7232
 

Grassland Fire Index Very High: Officials Urge Caution During Harvest
 

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression is asking ranchers and farmers to take extra precautions to prevent wildfires when harvesting.

The dry fuel conditions along with the warm and windy weather the state is experiencing make conditions ripe for extremely fast-moving prairie fires.

 
State Wildland Fire Division Director Jay Esperance strongly advises precautions, such as 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 said.

 
West River counties are experiencing a high to very high fire danger, especially these counties: Lawrence, Butte, Pennington, Meade, Custer, Harding, Perkins and Fall River.

 
The outlook for Friday is for the grassland fire danger to reach the very high to extreme categories.

 
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.

 
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

 
Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating nearly $21 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 143,000 South Dakotans.  The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect, preserve and improve this industry for today and tomorrow.  Visit us online at http://sdda.sd.gov or follow us on Facebook.

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