Firefighters battle extreme drought conditions

NEWTON COUNTY, Mo. — So far, fall in the Four States has been hot and dry.

With little in the way of measurable rainfall in the last few months, drought conditions have set in, and they continue to worsen.

The recent weather pattern is keeping area fire departments busier than usual, fearing that the worst is still to come.

“We haven’t had a severe outside fire in quite some time, but it’s a fuse waiting to be lit,” said Redings Mill Battalion Chief, Leif Hasty.

The latest drought monitor by the National Weather Service shows drought conditions worsening, with many counties now in the “extreme” category. These conditions have prompted county-wide burn bans to be implemented.

“Just yesterday, we had a lawn mower that clipped a rock and created a spark and that’s all it took to create a fire, so it doesn’t take much. This is the time of the year where people are going to try to get the leaves off their lawn with their mowers, scalp the lawn and maybe mow a little too low, they might hit some rocks and it could start a fire,” said Battalion Chief, Hasty.

In counties where burn bans have not been put in place, firefighters are asking people to not burn right now.

Even on a day where there is very little wind, a small, controlled brush fire can quickly become out of control.

“It’s just a better idea to let it set rather than chance the burning. You’re going to lose way more if you start an outside fire, maybe your neighbor’s house, your house, you don’t want to take that chance,” said Battalion Chief Hasty.

“It’s going to be snowing here in a couple months so it’s good to wait until then if you’ve got anything big especially to burn, wait until there’s some moisture again,” said Captain Greg Vangunda with the Seneca Fire Protection District.

But, if you decide to burn, even when a ban is not in place, firefighters say call them first.

“We always recommend calling and asking because we like to help out the best we can to advise the best times to burn,” said Captain Vangunda.

The National Weather Service says drought conditions will likely worsen.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.