(Estherville)– A series of fires over the weekend in Emmet county once again has authorities reminding everyone that a burn ban remains in effect for most counties in northwest Iowa until further notice.
Authorities say most of the fires earlier this fall were the result of harvest and fieldwork activities. But Emmet County Emergency Management Coordinator Terry Reekers tells KUOO news the fires that burned over the weekend in that county were from something different…Click here to hear mp3 file
Reekers says one of the more serious blazes threatened some highly volatile land along a stretch of the West Fork of the Des Moines River…Click here to hear mp3 file
No injuries were reported in any of the blazes.
Reekers says they’ve been turning over the names of those caught starting the fires to the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office for possible prosecution. Violators could be subject to a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine.
Unless significant rain falls soon, some counties have indicated it may not be until the first significant snowfall of the season before they would even consider lifting the ban…Click here to hear mp3 file
Reekers says he understands the frustration, especially among those in the agricultural sector, who typically do open burning this time of year. But he says it’s simply just too dangerous to allow it right now.
In addition to Emmet, burn bans remain in effect in Dickinson, Clay, Buena Vista, Cherokee, O’Brien, Osceola, Lyon, Sioux, Plymouth and Pocahontas counties in northwest Iowa.
