Nokomis FD highlights spring wildfire season, encourages public to take preventative steps

TOWN OF NOKOMIS – After successfully extinguishing its first wildland fire of the season this past weekend, the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department highlighted spring wildfire season and is encouraging the public to take preventative steps.

The department said the blaze, which occurred near the Lincoln and Oneida County border on Saturday, March 28, involved a 2.12-acre area of mostly dry grass, with a scattering of snowy spots. No injuries were reported, and no structures were impacted.

Also responding to the fire were the Tomahawk DNR team, the Little Rice Fire Department, the Cassian Volunteer Fire Department, Oneida County EMS Medic 4 and the Oneida County Sheriff's Office.

The affected area represented almost 25% of the 8.6 total acres in the state that had experienced a fire that day, the department said.

The local blaze occurred despite there being a low fire danger declared in the area by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the department noted.

The department recommends that before burning, the public refers to the DNR’s WISBURN dashboard (www.apps.dnr.wi.gov/wisburn/#/), which shows Wisconsin’s current fire situation, including fire danger, DNR burn restrictions and wildfire and prescribed burn activity.

According to the DNR, fire danger ratings describe the potential for a fire to start and spread and the intensity at which a fire will burn in the wildland.

“The ratings are based on weather, fuels and changes in the general landscape,” the DNR said. “They bring awareness of the current fire situation and encourage the public to adapt how and when to burn. Fire danger levels aid in determining the daily DNR burn restrictions.”

In many parts of the state, the public is required to obtain a burn permit from the DNR to conduct legal and safe burning in the outdoors. According to the DNR, the permits are proven to be effective in protecting lives, property and natural resources from the damages of wildfires.

Permits can be obtained at www.apps.dnr.wi.gov/burnpermits/.

After the permit is obtained, the public can then visit www.apps.dnr.wi.gov/wisburn/#/BurnRestrictions after 9 a.m. on the day of planned burning to check the fire restrictions in their county.

“Fire conditions change quickly, so it's important to check each day to find out if burning is allowed, burning hours and any size limitations,” the DNR said.

The department thanked the other responding agencies for their assistance in extinguishing last month’s fire.

“Let's be fire safe out there, folks,” the department said.