In my travels to western states, seeing burn bans in place is not that unusual.
Honestly, it seems almost commonplace to turn on the news and see a wildfire in California or Colorado that destroys public and private property.
In horrific instances, wildfires end lives.
Yet, here in our neck of the woods, burn bans are not that typical. However, thanks to the relentless drought and temperatures in the triple digits, burn bans throughout Missouri and Arkansas have been prolific throughout the summer of 2022.
Various counties, rural fire agencies, and even the National Forest Service have taken to social media, news outlets, and good ol’ fashioned roadside signs to spread the word.
I recently saw a post on Facebook from the Missouri Division of Fire Safety imploring individuals to be careful with cigarettes, but they also mentioned taking care when mowing and brush hogging because both activities can cause sparks and ignite fires.
All of these warnings to the public are necessary because when you have unseasonably dry conditions with no relief in sight, it just takes one spark with a little wind for a wildfire to rapidly escalate.
