MILWAUKEE — All but three counties in Wisconsin Tuesday faced what the Department of Natural Resources called a “high wildfire danger,” while Wisconsinites living in Vilas, Forest and Florence counties faced a moderate risk.

“Temperatures have been higher than normal and we haven’t had a lot of snowfall,” said Garrett Lubbers, a forest ranger for the Wisconsin DNR. “Throughout the state of Wisconsin, we’ve already responded to 50 or so wildfires throughout the year, so definitely unusual to see this weather pattern this early in the year.”

Burn permits had already been suspended in 25 counties as of this week, and while forecasted rain or snow overnight into Wednesday was expected to help, Lubbers said the threat will persist for the foreseeable future.

“The fine fuels, the grass, the leaf litter — that’s what’s concerning us right now,” Lubbers said. “As we see more rainfall, and maybe some snow and cooler temperatures coming in the future, that’ll dampen that fire danger.”

Watch the full interview above.