Fire departments across Minnesota are ramping up their fire safety campaigns amid a routine spike in summertime grilling and fire pit accidents.
State officials warn that unattended campfires spark over 50 wildfires in Minnesota each year, and just last year the state saw 61 fire-related deaths.
State Fire Marshal Dan Krier is urging residents keep a three-foot distance from open flames and to avoid reckless behavior near fire pits.
"What we also see a lot is some people think fires are extinguished, and then a gust of wind happens," Krier explains. "And then it just takes that one ember to hit a dry patch of grass, and now we have a wildfire."
Last summer data shows Hennepin County emergency crews handled at least one call an hour, with grilling and fire accidents spiking during the peak summer months.
Krier says people should also be checking for local and county burning restrictions before lighting up any kind of fire.
"We tend to see an increase of injuries and fires that are correlated with grilling or recreational fires in certain parts of Minnesota that are experiencing drought," says Krier. "Those recreational fires are really dangerous because they can sometimes lead to wildfires."
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, a fire is reported in the state every 36 minutes, year round. Unattended gills or open flames also rank as the leading cause of house fires.
