TOLEDO, Ohio — Northwest Ohio's severe drought has resulted in many areas struggling to reap the benefits of this year’s harvest, but many fields have been so dry that it has started field fires across the state, along with burn bans in southern Ohio.
The Storm Prediction Center issued an elevated fire danger risk Sunday morning for several counties across the area.
The combination of dry surface vegetation, wind gusts between 25 to 35 mph and relative humidity levels in the 20-30% range made it easy for an outdoor fire to start.
On Sunday afternoon these weather conditions resulted in a field fire that burned many soybeans in Fulton County.
Several areas across the state have now gone over a month without any real relief from the drought. Here in northwest Ohio, rain chances have not come easy creating more problems for farmers every day.
A state fire marshal stated"The ground conditions are very, very dry," State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon said. "Very susceptible to any form of spark that can start a fire from any number of sources, but that all begins with an open flame of some sort."
Reardon said with the ongoing drought, everyone needs to play their part to reduce the risk of fires within Ohio.
"My general message to the public is please think before you do something involving any kind of an open flame," Reardon said. "Any kind of an open flame, and this applies all over the state really."
A total of seven fire departments were called to yesterday’s Fulton County field fire.
“Without this type of cooperation between fire departments and farmers, the fire could have been much worse," the Delta Community Fire Department said.
With cooler fall weather ahead, it reduces the chance of field fires. But if you are having backyard bonfires throughout Toledo, always stay proactive and watch it closely as sparks could easily ignite grass surfaces surrounding the fire.