WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Twenty southern Indiana counties declared burn bans earlier this week, and fire officials are on anticipating Monroe County will declare a burn ban if rain doesn’t arrive soon. Monroe County Emergency Management Director Allison Moore says the soil in Monroe and Brown counties is currently holding enough moisture that the counties haven’t hit the threshold required to declare a burn ban. But Moore is cautioning residents to take care.
Fire season in Indiana varies from north to south. According to the state of Indiana’s Fire Weather Operating Plan, climate conditions in southern Indiana are most conducive to wildfires in February through April, and October through early December. Fire Chief Dustin Dillard of the Monroe Fire Protection District says he hasn’t yet received any unusual call about wildfires. But he’s keeping a close eye on drought conditions through the website droughtmonitor.unl.edu. He says the county has to reach the “Abnormally Dry” classification, for the Monroe County Fire Chief’s Association to discuss a countywide ban. The drought monitor map is updated weekly on Thursday mornings.
