Grass fire danger remains a hot topic

PIC: MNHP Sgt. Jesse Grabow

A day after battling a large grass fire northwest of the Grand Forks Airport a huge fire kept teams busy on the Minnesota side of the border.  Flames whipped by strong winds burned hundreds of acres near Mentor (MN).  The fire and smoke closed stretches of Highway 2 and 32 for multiple hours.

Fire teams hit the flames from both the ground and air.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has added more counties to the burn restriction list that covers most of the northwest part of the state.

DNR Fire Prevention Supervisor Casey McCoy says “Wildfire danger is especially high in April and May because we have dry conditions with no snow protection.  Once the landscape ‘greens up’ fire danger goes down – but until then, restrictions reduce the potential for wildfires.”

On Monday the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s office enacted an emergency burn ban because of dry conditions.  The ban includes the city of Grand Forks.  No recreational fires are allowed – including the burning of trees…grass…leaves…. and ditches.  The order will be reviewed April 6^th.