Field fires like one that caused Labor Day wreck common in Southeast Missouri

Standard Democrat

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Although emergency responders called it one of the area's worst in years, Monday's chain-reaction accident after smoke from a field fire covered U.S. 60 wasn't the first of its kind -- and it likely won't be the last.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a farmer was burning trash and started a nearby field on fire just outside of Essex, Mo. Smoke spread over the highway, and an accident involving 18 vehicles that injured 26 people occurred.

Anthony Ohmes, agronomy specialist for Mississippi County and Southeast Region of the University of Missouri Extension Center in Charleston, said farmers who burn off their fields do it as a form of residue management.

"Typically, if you're going to burn off a field, it's for the management of all that 'trash,'" Ohmes said. "A lot of times, for example, when burning off a cornfield, they're getting ready for wheat season. There are a lot of diseases in corn residue."

By burning off the field, the residue disappears.

"Farmers don't have to disc as much and burn fuel, so it's a cheaper means to manage the residue," Ohmes said.

Ideally, those who burn fields do so in strips and one strip at a time to keep the fire managed, Ohmes said.

For agriculture land clearing in Sikeston city limits, residents must obtain a permit from the city, said Capt. Ken Dicus of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

"What we look for in those seeking permits is if the land is in a traffic area: Will they do it at a time where traffic is not as prominent? We also want to make sure there are no hazards, such as utility wires or structures, in danger and make sure the fire is not too big and fairly easily controlled," Dicus said.

Besides landowners taking responsibility, it's also important for motorists to be aware of their surroundings, Dicus said.

"From a practical standpoint, if smoke is across the road and it's so thick you can't see through it, you have no business driving in it," Dicus said.

Dicus said a number of events like Monday's happen in the area every few years.

"It's always the same. Vehicles travel it not knowing about the fire. Their visibility gets shut down so they slow down and stop. The vehicle coming up behind them doesn't stop, runs into them, and it creates a chain reaction," Dicus said.

"Hundreds of thousands of people across the United States are hurt yearly in fire/smoke-related accidents. People see it out in California all the time with multiple fires occurring," Dicus said.

The bottom line is to use common sense, he said.