Winds, dry conditions fuel blazes

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 21, 2003

At least three fires burned fields in Freeborn County, two in Oakland and one in Alden, prompting the sheriff to ban outside fires until the weather conditions improve.

&uot;This isn’t the farmers’ fault, it’s because of the weather conditions,&uot; said Freeborn County Sheriff Mark Harig.

He said the dryness and high winds have increased the possibility of winds picking up debris from fires and spreading them so fast that fire departments may have trouble containing the blazes.

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He said anyone knowingly violating the ban, and causing an uncontrolled fire, will be cited.

Monday one of the fires burned about 20 acres of a harvested cornfield. A controlled fire of a grove and a shed a few days ago, that still smoldered, led to the blaze that crossed a 400-foot firebreak and 200th Street, said Gary Pestorious, who rents the land.

&uot;It’s kind of hard to believe that a spark would blow out that far but it did,&uot; Pestorious said.

Several fire departments battled the blaze southeast of Alden, which didn’t burn anything valuable. Monday evening the land was being tilled to bury the smoking stalks.

Mark Wedin’s house was surrounded on three sides by fire that got 10 feet tall, he said. The smoke was so thick that he couldn’t see his house a quarter-mile away from his home, which he said sustained damage from the smoke.

Near a black smoky pile of logs on the corner of the Woedens’ property that Mark had to water with a garden hose, his wife Jennifer wondered where they would spend the night.

&uot;It’s too smoky in there. We’re not going to be able to sleep in there,&uot; she said.

Mark said they may stay with his parents.

Jennifer found out about the blaze near her address over the police scanner at the clinic where she works.

&uot;It’s not fun hearing that,&uot; she said &uot;I just went, ‘That’s my house!’&uot;

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock@albertleatribune.com.)