Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
SMOKEY, THE fire-preventing bear, indicated fire danger was very high Wednesday at his station along Wisconsin 77 in Hurley's Cary Location. SMOKEY, THE fire-preventing bear, indicated fire danger was very high Wednesday at his station along Wisconsin 77 in Hurley's Cary Location.
Officials warn that until spring green-up occurs, fire danger will remain high across northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula.
On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources listed "red flag," or extremely high, fire danger warnings for 39 counties across the state.
Meanwhile, the city of Ironwood initiated a ban on all burning in the city until some rain arrives.
Strong south winds quickly increased the danger.
"These winds are killing us," Ironwood Public Safety Department fire officer Brandon Snyder said at noon Wednesday. He said the danger has really shot up in the last two days, with sunshine and wind.
Snyder warned that anyone responsible for starting a wildfire will be responsible for the costs of fighting the fire.
The Smokey the Bear sign at the Cary Convenience Store on Wisconsin 77 in Hurley listed "very high" fire danger.
Forecasts that had called for rain on Thursday were changed to almost no chance of precipitation.
The WDNR suspended DNR-issued burning permits in dry areas and asks the public to be especially careful with any activities that could potentially lead to a wildland fire.
Care is urged in campfires, outdoor grills, smoking, chainsaws and off-road vehicles.
"Small engines have the potential to throw a spark and ignite a dangerous and destructive fire," warned Catherine Koele, a WDNR wildfire prevention specialist.
Koele said the DNR's web page is updated with fire danger information daily at 11 a.m.
A weekend fire from sparks that blew from a burning barrel got out of hand and burned about seven acres south of Ashland. Grass and several trees went up in smoke, but several fire departments and the Department of Natural Resources stopped the Sunday night fire from spreading.
A 200-acre fire was battled downstate.
DNR officials said fire danger has been "high to very high" across the state, and even "extreme" on some days.
Debris burning is the number one cause of fires in Wisconsin, causing about 30 percent of the state's wildfires each year.
Burning household trash in Wisconsin is illegal. A study by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency found 15 households burning trash each day emit the same amount of cancer-causing dioxin and furan emissions as a 200-ton-per-day municipal waste incinerator using high-efficiency emissions control technology.
It is illegal to burn recyclable materials such as glass, plastic, metal containers and clean paper, as well as agricultural and horticultural plastics.
Every community in Wisconsin has a recycling program for plastic, glass, metal containers and paper.
For yard debris, composting is an option.
If burning is the only option for yard waste, burning permits may be required to burn yard debris piles or for broadcast burning any time the ground is not completely snow-covered.
For more information on burning permits and current fire danger in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword "fire." To learn more about ways to handle waste materials, search "waste."
