Burn bans: Why they’re not to be trifled with

COLON CANCER. HE WAS 48 YEARS OLD. BACK HERE AT HOME, IT’S BEEN A DRY START TO FEBRUARY, POSING A FIRE DANGER TO THE METRO. KETV NEWSWATCH 7 METEOROLOGIST LUKE VICKERY IS LIVE NEAR UNDERWOOD, IOWA. EXPLAIN WHY SOME TOWNS ARE ISSUING BURN BANS. HEY, LUKE. UNDERWOOD, IOWA. AND ONE THING WORTH MENTIONING IS IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE GOT A LOT OF MOISTURE. YOU KNOW, IT’S BEEN UNSEASONABLY WARM. WE ALL KNOW THAT. BUT ON TOP OF THAT, THE LAST TIME WE GOT SUBSTANTIAL MOISTURE WAS JANUARY 8TH. AND IT WAS RAIN, NOT SNOW. THAT WAS WHERE WE HAD JUST UNDER AN INCH OF RAINFALL. BUT SINCE THEN WE HAVEN’T HAD MUCH. AND NOW YOU’RE GETTING SOME OF THESE BRUSH FIRES THAT ARE STARTING TO POP UP WHEN YOU HAVE THESE UNSEASONABLY WARM DAYS. THE GROUND IS REALLY DRY NOW. SO AGAIN, WE’RE IN UNDERWOOD, IOWA, JUST OFF RAILROAD HIGHWAY RIGHT NEAR MOSQUITO CREEK. BEHIND ME YOU CAN SEE THE BURN SCARS. THIS WAS A BRUSH FIRE THAT HAPPENED ON MONDAY RIGHT UP AGAINST THE HIGHWAY. THAT’S JUST OFF I-80 THERE. WE DON’T KNOW HOW THE FIRE STARTED, BUT YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE. IT JUST TAKES A CIGARETTE, FLICKED OUT THE WINDOW. AND ON A DAY WHERE YOU’RE UNSEASONABLY WARM, THE GROUND’S REALLY DRY. IT’S A LITTLE BREEZY. YOU CAN GET A FIRE THAT SPREADS QUICKLY. AND IN THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST, LOOK AT ALL THE WARMTH WE HAVE. AND WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF MOISTURE HERE IN THE FORECAST EITHER. SO WE NEED TO PRACTICE CAUTION HERE THROUGH THIS WARM SPELL. WHILE THE AIR IS DRY AND THE GROUND IS REALLY DRY, ESPECIALLY ON BREEZY DAYS TO MAKE SURE WE DON’T START ANOTHER ONE OF THESE FIRES. REPORTING LIVE HERE IN UNDERWOOD, IOWA, JUST OFF OF RAILROAD HIGHWAY. METEOROLOGIST LU