The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says an Albany, Minnesota woman set fire to a field and a swamp as she was making maple syrup. Albany is about 90 miles north and west of Minneapolis.

Was it windy? Yes. Just like in this rural Rochester case...

A rural Rochester man was given a ticket for burning without a permit Monday after he caused a fire that charred several acres of brush and grass. Read More: Rural Rochester Man Gets Ticket For Starting Field Fire Monday

Should she have been burning stuff when it was windy? No, of course not. Not that I don't understand the allure of maple syrup. It is SO good it can blind us to dangerous situations.

Aleksei Nikolaev
NOT the fire she started...but it could have been! Aleksei Nikolaev
loading...

In a Stearns County Sheriff's Office press release, they said,

“Due to the wind at the time of incident, the neighboring field and swamp caught fire and she was unable to extinguish it with a water hose that she had nearby...

Eventually the fire department got it out...but what's happening to us? Are we all turning dough-head? Take a quick quiz to see if you are a dough-head.

Quiz neon sign on dark brick wall background
natasaadzic
loading...

I want to burn stuff outside, but it's super windy. The kind of windy that'll feed flames and carry flames far away from where I want the flames. In fact, those flames could just start a wildfire. What should I do?

a) Not start a fire.

b) Start a fire.

If you answered b, you are a dough-head and you might find yourself being talked about on Rochester radio.

Closeup photo of woman pressing phone control button on car media system
djedzura
loading...

As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com

Listen to James Rabe and Jessica Williams Weekday from 6 - 10 AM on Y-105 FM

I think I need to update this with "Oh, the fire won't spread..."

10 LIES MINNESOTANS TELL THEMSELVES

Sure, they're lies...but they also point to a fundamentally positive attitude about our lives in the greatest state in the nation (that just happens to have air that'll hurt your face).

More From Y-105FM