Strong winds and dry conditions sparked hundreds of wildfires in Missouri in the last few days as the state kicked off a particularly active fire year.
Between March 10 and March 16, fire departments, federal agencies and state staff responded to more than 200 wildfires across the state, covering more than 15,500 acres.
The Missouri Department of Conservation said its staff fought more than 80 wildfires. The department has not yet had reports of injuries or death, but fire did destroy 20 homes and other property.
The wildfires peaked in the leadup to Friday’s deadly storms, said Fire Program Coordinator Ben Webster.
“It did get to a point Friday afternoon where we had several staff that were sheltering in place with the landowners on the properties that they were suppressing fires,” Webster said. “They were hunkering in some of our more rural offices, where they have basements or buildings with low-lying infrastructure to hunker in. So we saw the whole gamut last week.”
Almost two dozen wildfires were also burning in and around Mark Twain National Forest near Rolla as the storm hit, according to a spokesperson.
Missouri has already burned half the acreage the state usually burns in a year, Webster said.
“We are seeing a more severe, more extreme weather trend right now in Missouri that we don't see every year,” Webster said. “We haven't seen this sort of thing for the last eight to 10 years.”
The fires also reached St. Louis County. On Tuesday, MDC crews contained a fire at Columbia Bottoms in Spanish Lake. Webster said they are still trying to find out what caused that fire.
The National Weather Service said conditions still favor fire, with strong winds and low humidity, across much of eastern Missouri and western Illinois.
“It looks like the next couple days for portions of the region, we're going to have to watch out for these sorts of conditions that would be conducive for rapid fire spread,” said weather service meteorologist Alex Elmore.
Officials said you can help prevent more fires by avoiding burning bonfires and trash on your land during red flag warnings. They also said to be careful with cigarette butts or equipment dragging from your vehicle that could cause sparks in nearby brush.
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