By Gusts approaching 50 mph have extended a National Weather Service red flag warning into the night hour of Monday, May 12.
Brown County Emergency Management Director Scott Meints said people shouldn’t do any open burning until the morning of Tuesday, May 13 at the earliest. Windy, dangerous conditions will continue until then, he said.
Local residents should be careful with outdoor activities and properly dispose of cigarette butts or anything else that can cause a spark, Meints said.
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He said on Sunday, May 11 he had heard of fires in the Claremont, Selby and Wolsey areas, but could not confirm details.
Winds in the Aberdeen region were strong all weekend and were steady at 20 to 30 mph with gusts around 45 mph Sunday, according to the NWS Aberdeen office.
Red flag warnings are issued when dry, windy conditions make it easy for flames to spread. In Brown County, a red flag warning means a complete ban on open or controlled burns. As of Sunday evening, all of northeastern South Dakota was under a red flag warning.
Images and videos posted online Sunday and purported to be in the Claremont area showed substantial smoke.