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Farm safety during fire season

The Angel Springs fire in Mill Canyon and beyond caused much grief to people in the affected areas.

According to Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers, it was caused by a combine during harvest.

This is a repeat of what happened in 2005 from the same field into both Harker Canyon and Mill Canyon. Then, it was excused as an accident. This time the damage is more extensive, and the cost of fighting the fire involves much more technology and personnel - brave teams from many western states and round-the-clock air support.

How long will such negligence and impunity be tolerated?

Here are some suggestions so that farmers can work without endangering their neighbors:

In this era of increasingly hot temperatures, harvest crews should have a fire unit on hand to deal with fire emergencies as they happen.

Consider using the land bordering canyon communities for pasture or hay or conservation reserve.

Morton Alexander

Davenport

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