Dry weather causes fire concerns in the fields

A fire that likely was sparked by a passing train last week destroyed more than two thousand acres of crops near Fort Dodge. The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is warning farmers statewide to take precautions as they bring in the harvest, even though the forecast calls for the possibility of rain.Farm Bureau spokesman Aaron Putze says most farmers take the threat of fire very seriously, even during this busy harvest time. Putze says a majority of farmers carry a fire extinguisher in their combine cab or under their tractor seat — but he says that might not be enough. He says keep the combine clean and have a spare fire extinguisher, in case the first one fails or is expended. Putze says disking end rows can create a firewall that can prevent a fire from spreading.