WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL OUT THERE TO AVOID FIRE

It wasn't so long ago since we were talking about lots of rain in a short period of time and the threat of flooding. Since then, a frost killed lots of vegatation, there has been no rain since February 26, and it became clear that the wildfire season has begun in Polk County.

A "red flag warning" was issued for Wednesday due to low humidity and extremely dry conditions. Sure enough, two large fires raged across the area, one of which for a time threatened a neighbourhood in southeast Winter Haven.

We're not looking for a significant chance of rain until early next week, with March and April traditionally being the driest months of the year. That means we can look for the possibility of firefighters being quite busy battling these wildfires.

It is important that we all take precautions to prevent these type of events from occuring. Use extreme caution of using welding or other equipment outdoors, keeping a close eye on sparks that could cause a fire. Avoid any type of outdoor burning if possible, but use extra caution when doing so and closely watch it. Even small things like not throwing your cigarette/cigar butts out the window can prevent a wildfire. With grass and vegatation extremely dry, even that can start something that can be difficult to stop.