Dry conditions, winds fuel brush fires in Indiana

COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) - A moderate drought is fueling brush fires across Indiana, prompting counties to ban open burning and keeping firefighters busy, especially in farm communities.

The National Weather Service said August broke a 113-year-old record for lack of precipitation in Indianapolis, where just 0.37 inches of rain fell. Much of central and western Indiana also saw less than an inch of rain last month.

Fire officials say that leaves much of the state ripe for fire, and conditions won't improve without significant rain.

"We need rain badly. It's just one of those years," Milton-Washington Township Fire Chief Scott Hicks told the Palladium-Item of Richmond. "Sometimes you have a bunch (of field fires)."

Hicks' department battled a fire Tuesday in eastern Indiana that devoured up to 60 acres of farmland and crops and produced smoke that was visible from Interstate 70. A combine malfunctioned and created a spark that ignited the field, and winds quickly spread the fire.

Combines also were blamed for recent field fires in Sheridan and Columbus.

Wayne County, which includes Richmond, has reported at least 13 grass fires since July 1, with most in the past two weeks, said Darin Riney, deputy director of Wayne County Emergency Communications.

Some communities are trying to reduce fire hazards by banning open burning. Westfield and Washington Township in Hamilton County have banned open burning and other legal fires until conditions improve. Violators in those communities can face fines of up to $500, Indianapolis television station WTHR reported.

Many other counties have implemented similar bans, including Johnson, Warrick, Vanderburgh and Bartholomew, where fire officials said a field fire Tuesday quickly covered about three-quarters of a mile.

Kevin Tibbs, a Bartholomew county fire inspector, told The Republic newspaper that field fires can double in size every 45 seconds. Windy conditions can make them spread faster.

Emergency management director Dennis Moats told the newspaper that the fire risk is heightened because the dry weather is making leaves fall off trees prematurely.

"The message here is to be careful," he said. "With conditions like this, it can be a real challenge for our fire departments."