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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – With northwest wind gusts expected anywhere as high as 55 to 60 mph today and Thursday, burning has been deemed “extremely dangerous” and officials have encouraged field work to be put off  in several south central North Dakota counties deemed to be in the Very High Fire Danger Index.

Those counties in the Very High Fire Danger Index include 90 to 100 percent of Stutsman, LaMoure, Dickey, McIntosh, Logan, Kidder and Wells, in addition to portions of Eddy and Foster.

The index is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service. North Dakota Department of Emergency Services Public Information Officer Cecily Fong said burning over the next two days will be extremely dangerous and field work should wait until conditions improve.

Multiple local fire departments have been battling fires in the region the past five days, with Jamestown Rural Fire Department responding to at least one incident per day from last Friday through Monday, and the Carrington Fire Department responding to a fire that threatened several fields Monday night.

Extreme Fire Danger Index warnings have been issued for the next two days in several western North Dakota counties where winds are expected to gust as high as 65 mph.

For more information about the Fire Danger Index, visit www.crh.noaa.gov/crh/.

For the official burn ban map, visit http://nd.gov/des .