Area counties under fire watch over weekend

Talk about it

The National Weather Service has much of southwest North Dakota under a fire weather watch Saturday, including Adams, Bowman, Stark, Hettinger, Morton, Golden Valley, Slope and Dunn counties, among others. Low humidity, dry grasslands and increasing wind may create ideal fire conditions, according to the service.

The Rangeland Fire Danger was in the “high” category Friday and may hit “very high” to “extreme” over the weekend, according to a press release from Stark County Emergency Management.

Emergency Manager Brent Pringle requests that landowners, equipment operators and outdoor enthusiasts take proper precautions when open burning:

- Citizens should contact the Stark/Dickinson dispatch center at 701-456-7759 before a controlled burn is started.

- Controlled burns need to be monitored at all times.

- Be prepared if the fire gets out of hand. Call 911 immediately and have resources available to mitigate the effects (tractor, digger, shovels).

Open burning and off-road motorized travel is prohibited when the fire danger index is in the extreme category, according to Emergency Management.

Tags: news, local, nws, fire, warning