Spring is fire season in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin DNR Wildfire Prevention Specialist Catherine Koele says there’s usually a couple Red Flag Days each year in the state, but less common is to see them multiple days in a row.
Red Flag Warnings are issued when there are hot temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and dry fuels.
“We just need some rain to really kind of shake things up for us and get that green up to continue,” said Koele.
It was an early start to the fire season in Wisconsin because of the lack of snow winter. There’s been close to 800 wildfires that have burned more than 2,300 acres so far.
Nearly 100 of those fires came in the last week.
While many wildfires are started by debris burning, equipment has also been the cause of some.
“Operating equipment in the woods and in dry grassy areas, hot exhaust systems, and chain saws, even trailer chains dragging along a road, can cause a spark and easily cause a wildfire that could spread very quickly,” said Koele.
The Wisconsin DNR is urging people to avoid all burning and be careful with any equipment that could spark.
If you cause a fire or see a fire you should report it right away by calling 911.
Several fires have popped up in the region in the past couple of days.
The Ironwood Township Fire Department posted on Facebook saying they responded to three back-to-back brushfires Sunday. Pine Lake Fire Department put out one on Highway C near North Limberlost Rd.
Quick response by firefighters has kept them small.
“Everybody's on high alert right now. We're monitoring from our command center down in Madison, moving resources,” said Koele. “The Department of Transportation has been gracious enough to allow us to use their electronic message boards to help with folks from out of the area as they're driving on the road know about these conditions. So kind of all hands on deck, and hopefully the public will adhere to these conditions.”
The DNR has several resources on standby including two single engine scoopers and a couple of black hawk helicopters from the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
Conditions are expected to improve later in the week with the forecasted rain.
“It's a good opportunity for our firefighters to get some rest and some reprieve. But certainly, if the vegetation has not fully greened up yet, we could be in fire conditions shortly after that,” said Koele. “Again, it's just kind of a day by day thing. We'll see how much precipitation we get, and continue to monitor those fuel conditions and staff accordingly.”
