NORFOLK, Neb. -- Drought conditions paired with rising temperatures have brought high grass fire danger across the state of Nebraska.

Norfolk Fire Division Assistant Chief Trevor O’Brien said this time of year is all about keeping things under control.

“Minimizing risk in beneficial,” he said. “When those fires start spreading out that just means we need more people in more locations over a bigger geographical area.”

O’Brien said the high fire danger leads to spring having potential to be the busiest time of the year for many fire departments.

“With grass fire season…its very labor intensive,” he said. “When we do get grass fires going were calling in mutual aid departments, and the majority of our staff are going.”

The ultimate goal is controlling these fires, keeping them away from doing any significant damage to towns or local residents.

“As those start approaching cities, dwellings, or buildings there’s high risk for the community,” he said. “Just use extreme caution.”