Wildfire — Guthrie, Iowa

2023-04-13 · Guthrie, Iowa

Event narrative

One person conducting a controlled burn was severely injured when the fire became uncontrolled. The fire quickly spread and engulfed the individual who was using a tractor to stop further spread of the fire.

Wider weather episode

Early to mid April in Iowa was marked by exceptionally dry, warm, and breezy conditions. This resulted in several days of Red Flag Warning issuances across the area when relative humidity dropped under 25 percent, winds gusted over 30 mph, and much above average temperatures climbed into the low 80s. This resulted in a number of fires that became uncontrolled through the first half of the month. On April 13th, one fire resulted in an individual becoming severely burned.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1089892. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.