Dry winter fueling early and active wildfire season across Minnesota
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Although spring flooding doesn't appear to be a concern this year, our warm, dry winter has fueled another problem.
From last week's grass fire in Waseca County that burned through nearly 2,000 acres and injured three people in southern Minnesota to a grassland fire that burned through 10 acres Sunday in St. Louis County, the DNR says fire danger is high for most of the state right now.
The DNR says 90% of wildfires in Minnesota are caused by people and they encourage everyone to use caution this spring while spending time outdoors.
"We started seeing an uptick in wildfire activity in mid-February, so about six weeks earlier than normal and unusually so across the whole state," DNR Wildfire Prevention Specialist Karen Harrison said.
Harrison said the potential for wildfires is expected to be very high now through May.
"Because we didn't have the snowpack, we have a lot of grasses that are standing upright. They dry out really quickly and are what we call fine fuels, so even if we get precipitation, they can dry out within an hour after that precipitation stops. There's just a lot of fuel available on the ground right now," Harrison said.
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Not only is this wildfire season starting earlier, but it's already been quite active. The DNR has responded to more than 80 wildfires in just the past two and a half weeks.
"Right now, across the state, you do need a permit if you're burning anything larger than three feet high or three feet in diameter," Harrison said.
She encourages people who may have plans to go camping this spring to be careful and practice fire safety.
"Anytime you are using fire, don't leave it unattended and then drown it with water, stir and repeat until it's out cold," she said.
The last time the DNR saw winter wildfire activity similar to this year was back in the winter of 2011-2012, Harrison said.
"Looking ahead, we're all going to hope for more precipitation. We don't see anything coming right now, but it's Minnesota. You never know what the weather might bring," she said.
