Red Flag Warning issued for second day in a row

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the second day in a row on Tuesday.

The combination of low humidity, gusty winds and lightning in the forecast sparked the warning. The Bureau of Land Management’s Idaho Falls district are more alert and prepared when these warnings are in effect.

Sarah Wheeler of the BLM said the agency monitors resources throughout the region to prepare for fires. She said this year has been more mild than most.

“Locally, in our jurisdiction response unit, I think we’ve only had 37 fires,” said Wheeler.

She said only 15,000 acres have been burned, and the Red Flag Warnings are meant to keep it that way.

“It’s helping us think about what the fire might be doing,” said Wheeler.

In some cases, the BLM may move its resources around to prepare for certain storms.

“We might pre-position resources to help us with initial attack,” said Wheeler.

With August right around the corner, Wheeler said the BLM is prepared for more Red Flag Warnings as lightning typically becomes more frequent.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get a fire started, but what it does do is help us kind of say, ‘You know what? We know our fuels are dry,'” said Wheeler. “If we are getting lightning there’s a possibility we might be getting starts.”