A local fire official says it's important farmers call in the fire department as soon as possible if they have a field fire.
James Marshall is the Fire Prevention Officer for Morris-Turnberry and North Huron.
He says in some cases plowing around the fire can delay its spread.
But Marshall warns while a fire extinguisher can help get a farmer to a safe spot in a fire, it won't have much impact on a burning field.
"We would much rather be called out 20 times and get turned around because it was brought under control or it was remedied than have it get ahead of us and trying to play catch-up with this."
He suggests farmers have a cell phone handy when they're working in the field, and know their fire numbers so they can tell firefighters where to go to deal with the fire.
"Gone are the days when you can call the fire department and say we're on old man Johnson's farm. We need to know the fire numbers, keep a cell phone with you and don't be afraid to communicate with us should there be an emergency."
According to Marshall, the two field fires in his area this year were both caused by people flicking cigarette butts out their window while driving.
He also worries about floating Chinese lanterns.
While they look pretty when they float through the air, he points out they have to land somewhere.
If that somewhere is in a dry field, Marshall says the consequences could be disastrous.
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Marshall wants farmers to call out the fire department as quickly as they can to deal with field fires.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MARSHALL-Field-1.mp3"][/audio]
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Marshall says it's important for farmers to have a cell phone handy when they're working the fields and to know their fire numbers.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MARSHALL-Field-2.mp3"][/audio]
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He says a fire extinguisher won't have much impact on a field fire.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/MARSHALL-Field-3.mp3"][/audio]
