On Wednesday afternoon and evening, dry conditions and high winds sparked several wildfires in the southern part of the state on private land, conservation areas, and National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service lands. Even though most of the fires were contained by Thursday morning, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) urges caution as higher-than-normal fire-danger conditions exist across most of southern Missouri.
Specially trained MDC firefighting teams from the region worked with the U.S. Forest Service and local fire departments to contain and suppress the wildfires. MDC is also mobilizing staff and equipment from other regions around the state to relieve staff that have been actively fighting fire for several days, including ones burning in and around the Caney Mountain Conservation Area in Ozark County and part of the Current River Conservation Area in Reynolds County.
MDC reminds people to be careful with any activities that could cause a wildfire, including outdoor burning, off-road driving and smoking cigarettes. Call 911 at the first sign of a fire getting out of control.
The National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings when the danger of wildfires is high, typically from drought conditions or warm weather with very low humidity and high or erratic winds. Learn more at www.weather.gov.
Learn more about preventing wildfires at mdc.mo.gov/your-property/fire-management/wildfire-prevention.
MDC supports about 700 rural fire departments around the state by providing tens of thousands of dollars in annual grant monies that help these small-town, mostly volunteer fire departments buy personal protective gear and firefighting equipment. Grant funds are used on everything from radios and other communication equipment to chainsaws, hoses, and hand tools. Funding for the program is provided by MDC and the U.S. Forest Service Volunteer Fire Assistance Program. For more information on how MDC helps fire departments around the state, visit the MDC website at mdc.mo.gov/your-property/fire-management/fire-department-assistance-programs.
