Daily Herald editorial

If area residents needed an illustration of just how dangerous a spark or open flame can be right now, the blaze that swept through a soybean field Wednesday afternoon provided it. It’s tinder dry out there, and likely to remain so for at least the next few days.

The early days of fall tend to be a dry period in any year. This year, the effect of that dry weather has been multiplied by unseasonably warm conditions which seem to have sucked the moisture right out of the air — and, more to the point, out of flammable plants. There’s a burning ban for all of Mower County but, if past experience is any guide, at least a few people will nevertheless be tempted to try their hands at bonfires, leaf-burning and other unwise activities.

If the essential job of running a combine through a bean field can lead to a fire, open flames — whether out of town or in — are clearly a bad idea. Respect the burn ban, please.