Drought conditions cause increased fire risk in Ohio

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) – Extremely dry conditions caused by this summer's drought have made fighting cornfield fires even more difficult for local fire departments.

It's the latest in a slew of challenges brought on by the drought.

"Oh my lord, I mean if we see our pasture, there’s nothing out there," said Brice Acton, owner of Acton Family Farms in Ross County. "Worst I've ever seen, I’ve never seen anything like it. And the old guys are saying we’ve now surpassed anything they’ve ever seen."

There was a fire Wednesday afternoon in a cornfield that neighbors one of Acton's farms. He stood on top of a nearby grain facility to guide farmers who were in tractors clearing corn to stop the flames from spreading.

“Yesterday's fire, in a normal climate, could have been contained to a much smaller area, but with the conditions and everything being as dry as it was, we went from 0 to 25 acres in 25 minutes," said Tristen Carter, fire chief in Concord Township.

The fire was started by a fallen electric pole, according to Carter. He said the dry conditions caused by the drought allowed the flames to spread quickly. Six other fire departments and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources helped.

“It’s going to be a different season around us with what's going on because we’re not going to be able to get ahead of it being volunteer agencies in area," Carter said.

There have been at least four cornfield fires in the area recently, according to Carter. He said his department is used to dealing with fires around harvest time sometimes caused by farming equipment. But he's concerned if those fires happen this year, they'll be even worse because of how dry everything is. Acton said it's situations like Wednesday that make an already challenging season even harder.

“When you look at the drought, I think that's probably the biggest unspoken portion of the drought is how its affecting the mental health of the farmer," he said.