The dry, dusty conditions that have dominated the state's weather the past few years have gotten worse. You can see the impact of the drought by simply driving on Interstate 90 -- somewhat green near the Minnesota border and Sioux Falls, with increasing shades of brown and tan the farther west you travel.
Add black to the rainbow of drought colors that can been seen on South Dakota's landscape, of late.
Grass fires, which hit this state hard a few years ago, are back in their full, devastating glory. Central South Dakota has seen a spike in fires, and it was most apparent over the weekend when fire crews were busy Friday through Sunday battling pesky prairie blazes.
In this weekend's case, most of the fires were caused by nature. In a cruel twist of irony, Mother Nature brought us a thunderstorm, which looked full of much-needed precipitation. Instead, we only got a brief shower and dozens of lightning strikes, which caused several fires.
Those fires remind us how delicate things are right now on the South Dakota countryside, and how easily fires can be started. Once ignited, the tinder-dry grasses provide the perfect fuel for what could be a nasty, devastating fire.
ADVERTISEMENT
As of Monday, 25 South Dakota counties had enacted burn bans. In our area, bans have been mandated in five counties: McCook, Brule, Jerauld, Buffalo and Lyman.
We hope that the weekend's rash of prairie fires -- whether caused by nature or otherwise -- will serve as a reminder to people how easily a fire can spread across our dry pastures. Think long and hard before doing anything that could start a fire.
We also hope more counties consider enacting burn bans.
In times like these, any fire -- campfire, controlled burn or cigarette tossed from a car window -- has the potential to take out thousands of acres, buildings and lives.
Any measures that can be taken to limit the potential hazard should be taken, and soon.
