Wisconsin on "Very High" alert for wildfires due to dry conditions

Despite a good downpour last week, the area is still dangerously dry. That has left firefighters on high alert for brush fires.

\"Anywhere where you see a prairie area, or a lot of grass, it can really happen anywhere,\" Waukesha firefighter Tom Koerner said.

Just last week Waukesha crews were called to an area where simple construction work started a grass fire, prompting five stations to be called out.

\"Sparks from any of the construction vehicles, all the way to them not watering the area that they're working in could ignite something,\" Koerner said.

Even train tracks can be a hazard. \"As the cars are going down the tracks it'll create sparks, and that'll start spot fires all the way down the tracks.\"

There have been at least six considerable brush fires in recent weeks. Germantown. Fond du Lac, and Waukesha are all on the list.

Almost every county in Wisconsin is rated orange meaning the possibility of a fire is very high.

\"It can spread very fast and very rapidly. And it's also with wind or how the weather is reacting, that can push the fire a lot faster,\" Koerner said.

The elevated levels means anyone wanting to start a fire has to have a permit in hand. Firefighters also suggest having a water bucket nearby as well.