With dry conditions persisting throughout much of Minnesota, wildfire agencies have further restricted open burning in portions of the state.

Beginning Friday, Aug.10, by order of the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, Mark Holsten, no open burning, including the use of burning barrels, will be allowed in Aitkin, Anoka, Beltrami, Benton, Carlton, Cass, Chisago, Cook, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hennepin, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Ottertail, Pine, Pope, Ramsey, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Stevens, Todd, Wadena, Washington and Wright counties.

In addition, recreational fires or campfires will only be allowed in a designated fire receptacle designed for such use provided it is associated with a residence, dwelling, campground, or resort.

"The decision to restrict burning in these areas is not taken lightly," said David Epperly, the director of the Division of Forestry, "Conditions in the state have created a situation where any uncontained fire could spread and result in extensive damage or injury."

Much of the state is currently in the midst of a moderate to severe drought. In addition to affecting agricultural crops, the lack of precipitation allows vegetation in forests and grasslands to cure and dry making them far more susceptible to ignition and increasing the rate of spread of a fire once started.

Fire behavior analysts consider several factors when predicting fire danger. The obvious factors like temperature, humidity and wind speed are considered with less obvious factors like the types of fuel available, moisture content of the fuels, the soil moisture, and potential for future precipitation. Several stations within Minnesota calculate fuel moisture each day and their measurements are factored into the equation.

Recent measurements show numerous stations within Minnesota are showing the larger dead fuels have moistures of less than 18 percent.

DNR Fire Behavior Analyst Doug Miedtke said when moisture in large dead material falls this low, the potential for fires to spread is compounded with difficulty in controlling them should they start.

"If these larger fuels ignite, fire intensity increases dramatically, requiring additional effort to extinguish and often cannot be worked on without heavy equipment or air support," Miedtke said.

Restrictions will remain in place until sufficient precipitation is received to moderate the fire danger. If normal precipitation is not received in the near future, it may necessitate expanding the area.

Firefighters caution everyone to be extra careful with their outdoor activities; even recreational or campfires within receptacles have the potential to ignite nearby fuels.

"Stay with your fire, have water handy as well as a means of dispensing it," Miedtke said. "We want to protect the people and resources we care for."