SIOUX CITY, IA -
There is no denying that it's been hot and
dry, and those dry conditions have many people worried, including fire
officials in Woodbury County.
So starting tomorrow, a burn ban is being put in place.
Firefighters here in Sioux City have been
called out several times lately for field and grass fires, and fire
officials say that farmers are also concerned about their crops catching
fire because of the dry conditions.
"We've talked to a lot of farmers that are
getting nervous because their fields are getting dryer, they're running
irrigation systems around the clock and we want to do everything we can
to make sure that they don't lose any of their crops because of an
accidental fire," said Sergeant Bluff Fire Chief Anthony Gaul.
But what if you don't have an irrigation
system like this one? Jim Weber, who farms as a hobby, says at this
point, his corn crop is a total loss.
"At best, if it was a good year, it was not
gonna be the best crop, but with this weather and no rain, it's totally
gone," Weber said.
And that means his crops are dry, and can
catch fire easily. Chief Gaul says his crews have been working hard,
especially this past weekend.
"We had 6 different departments out for 7 or 8
hours on it, in the heat it puts a lot of exertion on the fire fighters
as well as well as the resources," he said.
And Weber knows, fires can start from just about anything.
"Occasionally, living along the road here
we'll have somebody toss a cigarette, I mean, that's happened before. In
years like this I've looked out and all of a sudden the ditch is on
fire, and we'd have to scramble, and get some water and go down and put
it out," he said.
The ban includes open burning, so no field or
trash burns unless it's in an incinerator. The ban will continue until
further notice.
Fire officials say you can still use your
barbeques, grills, and your outside fireplaces, they just ask that you
watch them at all times.
