County officials sound alarm as fire danger soars
By M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer
McKenzie County officials have implemented strict burn restrictions amid growing concerns over the reliability of fire indexes and the need for more localized decision-making. Rick Schreiber, Landfill Director and Arnegard Fire Protection District Chief, presented the proposed restrictions to the County Commissioners on October 1. Schreiber highlighted the significant fuel loads and dry conditions in the area, emphasizing the potential for late-season fires to spread rapidly: “We have the potential of looking at fire weather into mid-December.”
Schreiber also expressed frustration with relying solely on the fire indexes that are currently utilized from the U.S. Forest Service, National Weather Service, and NOAA, which he believes have not accurately reflected the actual fire risks in McKenzie County. “Over the last four or five weeks, the fire index did not accurately depict the conditions that we were seeing here in McKenzie County,” Schreiber stated. “This has caused uncertainty in the validity of the indexes.”
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