Fire conditions: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
“We have somewhat good news in that we actually saw fewer fires in the past month than the previous month, but the Weston County Fire Protection District has still been quite busy,” said Daniel Tysdal, Weston County fire warden.  
September will be the make it or break it month for Weston County, as far as the number of wildland fires in the county goes. Tysdal said that Weston County is right about average at this time for the number of fires in a year. So, depending on how September shapes up, the county could end up right about average or above average, he said. 
“Unfortunately, the National Weather Service has already issued a ‘fire weather watch in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for gusty and low relative humidity,’ and indications are that the weekend will likely see critical fire weather conditions develop as well,” Tysdal said. 
The weather plays a direct role in the fire danger, according to Tysdal, and with the U.S. Drought Monitor showing Weston County at about 50% “abnormally dry” and in 50% “moderate drought,” conditions are favorable and fires could easily start and spread. 
While rain is one solution to the problem, that seems to be in short supply in Weston County. A mere 0.12 inches of rain fell on the county in August, according to the National Weather Service. During that same time, the average high was 90 degrees and the average low was 61 degrees. 
The drought that Weston County is experiencing comes after one of the wettest years in history, according to Melissa Smith, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Rapid City. 
In the first 12 days of August in 2019, the News Letter Journal reported that Weston County had already received 5.49 inches of rain. 
“I can tell you, that is a lot. It definitely blows away the previous record that was set in 1942 at 3.04 inches,” Smith said. 
With moisture comes vegetation growth and Weston County is not in short supply of fire fuel after receiving record amounts of rain last year. The combination, Tysdal said, is what we have experienced in 2020. 
To date, Weston County has seen 23 natural-caused wildland fires that have burned 185.93 acres and 20 human-caused fires that have burned 51.08 acres. 
 “We can hope that the number of thunderstorms producing lightning will begin to decrease as we move into September; however, at the same time, we are moving into hunting seasons and the number of folks out in the field always increases the chances for human-caused wildland fires,” Tysdal said. “Therefore, the public should continue to be particularly careful with any outdoor activity that could cause a fire and remember to be aware of and abide by all fire restrictions in place and realize these restrictions could vary between land management agencies.” 
Tysdal said that people should call 911 immediately if they see a fire or distinct smoke column.