Fire danger must be taken seriously

Tourism season is, for all intents and purposes, here. We usually welcome it fully with open arms. This year we welcome it with trepidation, knowing just how dry it is out there, and the fire danger that we are dealing with.
It’s not even May, and thousands of acres of Custer County land have burned in fire already this year. The 79 Fire, the Qury Fire, the Murray Fire. There are other smaller fires that took off that didn’t do nearly as much damage but still served as a stark reminder that the ground is tinder dry in this part of the country. Yes, we got some recent precipitation, which helps. But we can’t let our guard down.
Now, throw into the mix hundreds of thousands of tourists descending upon the area, ready to enjoy a vacation, wanting their campfires, smoking their cigarettes, in many cases oblivious to just how dire the situation is here in the southern Black Hills. As we saw with the 79 Fire, all it takes is one person to throw a cigar out the window as they are driving by to ignite a gigantic blaze that puts lives and property at risk.
As we have sat through meetings this winter listening to officials explain just how dry the ground is, how dry the fuels are, and how ripe the area is for a catastrophic fire, it has only made us more and more nervous. While the Northern Hills at least had some semblance of a winter, Mother Nature extended us no such courtesy. It barely snowed at all until recently, and we are paying the price for it. And it doesn’t just affect us in terms of fire. Our county roads couldn’t be worked on for a long time because it’s too dry. Our creeks are barely flowing. It’s hard to believe we’re only a few years removed from the wettest year on record in these parts, but here we are.
Much of the country is feeling the same pinch. The Colorado River is in trouble, hamstrung by a weak snowpack in the states that feed that river. That means less water down river for the places that rely on it. It seems the entire western part of the country is in a drought. Meanwhile, the eastern part of the country got absolutely hammered with snow all winter. Go figure. If only they could have shared some of that with us.
Despite the danger, people were still using burn barrels, lighting campfires, etc. The county only today rescinded its burn ban. The purpose of this is not to second guess that. We received plenty of great precipitation recently, and the burn ban can be put back on in a moment's notice should things dry out. Still, please do not do anything that could cause a fire. Conditions can change in a hurry. We aren’t out of the woods yet—no pun intended. Know you still cannot burn slash piles. If we ever have a fire the size of the Jasper Fire again, there is no way people will not lose their homes. We saw that with the Qury Fire. Despite firefighters’ best efforts, not every home could be saved.
What we really need is about a solid week of rain. That would certainly help. In the meantime, we should all be doing what we can to prevent a fire. As this recent precipitation begins to melt and the sun begins to dry things out, be mindful and do what you can to be mindful of conditions.
Things are better but it’s still a dangerous time. Until we get some more precipitation, it’s all hands on deck to prevent a tragedy happening in our county.