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The National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” Tuesday amid “extreme fire conditions” in southwest and west-central Minnesota.
The warning follows a turbulent week of fire calls in Rock County as farmers worked to harvest corn and soybeans in hot, dry fields.
In a single day within an hour on Sept. 29, the Rock County Sheriff’s Office dispatched firefighters to three different fire calls.
One at the Darla Faber farm west of Luverne recurred the following day. According to officials at the scene, a hot bearing on the combine ignited soybean stubble, and dry conditions combined with 30-mph wind sparked a field fire in seconds.
An attentive neighbor quickly disked a strip of ground between the field and the acreage to protect the nearby grove and property, illustrating the importance of fire precautions.
Many Rock County farmers have had their disks hooked up and nearby as they combined in their fields this fall.
Operators are advised to frequently blow leaves and chaff off the combine engine with compressed air or a portable leaf blower and remove wrapped plant materials on or near bearings, belts or other moving parts.
They’re also urged to inspect exhaust and bearings and repair leaking fuel or oil hoses, fittings or metal lines.
Combines should be outfitted with two ABC-type fire extinguishers, shovels to scoop dirt onto a fire and a cell phone to call for help.
According to the National Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning means the area is experiencing critical weather conditions that are ideal for wildfire, including strong winds and minimum humidity values.
“Do not burn while the Red Flag Warning remains in effect and check any burning done recently to ensure the fire is out,” the service shared in a release issued Tuesday morning.
“Any spark could become a wildfire under Red Flag conditions.”
Counties included in Tuesday’s warning include Rock, Nobles, Pipestone, Murray, Martin, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lac Qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Traverse, Watonwan, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine.
The Red Flag Warning expires at 7 p.m.
Check the statewide fire danger and current burning restrictions webpage, which the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources updates daily.