oh my goodness...it was started by a controlled burn....and that person is financially responsible for all damages. ACK.

I am really surprised that we are NOT under a burn ban. It is just way to dry, and then the wind....

Seems to me, anyone with sense, would not have a fire going at all.

Moni

There are some criteria for burn bans you have to meet and many counties that would like to have a burn ban just do not yet meet all the criteria. I heard someone from Guthrie (maybe the fire chief of maybe someone who was serving as the Public Information Officer) say during an interview that they had been looking at a burn ban, but were just now arriving at the point where they might meet most of the criteria. (One of the criteria is that you have to have a certain percentage of fires that started as prescribed burns that got out of control.) I"ll link the criteria below. They actually modified the criteria last year so that it is easier now to implement a county burn ban than it was prior to that. Many rural fire chiefs are opposed to burn bans, too, because their farmers and ranchers use prescribed burns to reduce brush levels annually so that when uncontrollable fires occur, there is less brush to serve as fuel for the fires. The fire chiefs and county emergency management officials walk a fine line between protecting the public and, yet, allowing the farmers and ranchers to use prescribed burning as a fire management tool. I bet Logan County will implement a burn ban as soon as they meet all the criteria to do so.

Lisa, That is technically a true statement, but if the person doesn't have a good insurance policy that will cover the damages (many do not) , and they don't have lots of money, most people never will get any compensation for their losses. We have been at wildfires started by prescribed burns that got out of control and the person or persons who were doing the burning will be handing out their insurance agent's name and phone number to any resident with damage. That's terrific, but for every one person like that, there's probably 3 more who deny it was their fault and who essentially say "prove it". If you don't have someone on video starting a fire, it is hard to prove it in a court of law.

I've been watching this fire all afternoon and evening long and it is just tragic. I cannot imagine how many homes, outbuildlings and vehicles have been lost, and likely some farm/pet animals as well as wildlife.

I hope all the people were able to get out of the burning areas without injury or death, and I hope they were able to get their animals out.

It would help a lot if people would not let their fields and forests become cedar-filled. Cedar trees are just big torches waiting to be lit up.

If good rain doesn't fall in May, we're all in trouble in terms of having a really bad summer fire season.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: County Burn Ban Guidelines

I don't know how anyone could have enough insurance for that much damage. My tummy was in knots just thinking about it, I can't imagine being the person who is at fault.

One of the channels brought up the cedar eradication issue again. I don't know how they could really do it, but it would be a good thing. I know they would like to find a profitable way to encourage it...create a way for people to make money off of the trees and it would happen quicker.