Wisconsin

Wildfire season in Wisconsin has started amid unseasonably warm winter

Published

2 years ago

February 26, 2024

Wildfire season in Wisconsin has started amid unseasonably warm winter

Wisconsin’s season is starting early this year due to the lack of snow cover in what’s been an unseasonably warm winter.

The state Department of Natural Resources is asking residents to avoid burning because of high fire danger across the state. Last weekend alone, the agency responded to 15 wildfires burning 30 acres.

Since the start of the year, the DNR has tracked more than 50 fires that burned 160 acres. For comparison, the 10-year average over the same period is three wildfires burning two acres.

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Catherine Koele, wildfire prevention specialist for the Wisconsin DNR, said the state’s typically still has snow on the ground by March and into April. She said seeing 50 fires by February is “quite unusual.”

“Ninety-eight percent of our fires are caused by people, so it’s no surprise that the majority of these fires are caused by debris burning,” Koele said. “Folks are getting outside, enjoying the beautiful weather and choosing to get out there and clean up their yards pretty early this year.”

She said dry and dead vegetation mixed with warm temperatures, gusty winds, low humidity and burning yard waste have contributed to the majority of the fires in the state over the last two months.

That’s why the DNR is asking Wisconsinites to avoid outdoor burning, including limiting campfires and bonfires. The agency also recommends discarding hot ashes into a metal container until they cool down.

Koele also said burn permits also play an important role in preventing wildfires. She said the DNR manages burn permits in about 43 counties, but local municipalities also have their own burn restrictions. The agency says it’s suspending burn permits in 25 counties.

“It’s really important to obtain those burn permits (and) follow the rules on those burn permits,” she said. “There’s a lot of great safety tips, and also just make sure that those fires are completely out before you leave.”

Last year, with drought hitting much of Wisconsin throughout the summer, there were more than 1,000 fires that burned 4,816 acres, according to DNR data. That’s the most acres burned by wildfires since 2013 when 9,109 acres burned.

“2023’s fire season was a little bit more active than a typical fire season,” said Koele. “It just it kind of lingered on into the summer months.”

El Niño weather pattern, climate change contribute to fire conditions

Benjamin Sheppard, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Milwaukee/Sullivan office, said the state typically doesn’t have wildfire concerns in February because there’s normally snow on the ground preventing vegetation from drying out.

But there has been very little snow this year due an El Niño weather pattern that brought warmer temperatures and less snow, Sheppard said. Climate change is also contributing to warmer temperatures.

Sheppard said rain is forecasted for Tuesday into Wednesday and temperatures are expected to drop into the teens before rising again.

“By Friday, we currently have low 50s in our forecast system. By Saturday, we have low 60s,” Sheppard said. “With that in mind, this pattern looks to continue and the early start (to) fire weather season has begun.”

READ MORE: Wisconsin on track to have warmest winter ever recorded

Sheppard also said counties bordering Lake Michigan could avoid some fire conditions from cool wind coming off the lake, but the southwest portion of the state faces an elevated fire risk.

He said the wind hitting southwestern Wisconsin is warm and dry as it comes from Illinois and the central United States.

As climate change continues, Sheppard said he’s concerned the state could see more unseasonably warm winters and more early fire seasons.

“I would not be surprised if as a result of the changing climate that we were to have more years like this, where winters are milder,” he said. “Not only is climate change a contributing factor to the increase in these anomalous events that we’re seeing, but also something that’s going to continue in the future.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

Published

12 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin loses starting offensive lineman to the transfer portal

In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin Badgers starting center Jake Renfro is using a medical hardship year and entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.

Renfro, a sixth-year senior in 2024, battled numerous injuries this season, limiting him to only four games after having season-ending surgery. He was a full-time starter for Wisconsin in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season except for the team’s bowl game due to injury.

Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Renfro had played for head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati for three seasons. He played in seven games as a freshman in 2020, making six starts at center. He then was the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2021, earning All-AAC honors before missing the entire 2022 season due to injury.

Now, he’s set to come back to college football for a seventh year, rather than turn pro, and will look to do so at another school.

“I want to thank Coach Fickell, the entire coaching and training staff, my teammates, and the University of Wisconsin for everything over the past three seasons,” Renfro wrote. “I am grateful for the support, development, friendships, and memories I have made during my time in Madison. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal and use a medical hardship year to continue my college football journey. I will always appreciate my time as a Badger.”

Renfro was one of the biggest supporters of Fickell publicly, being a vocal leader on the team as the starting center.

With his departure, Wisconsin could need a new starting left tackle, left guard, and center next season, depending on whether Joe Brunner heads to the NFL or returns for another season.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin’s match vs Stanford puts Alicia Andrew across net from sister

Sisters Alicia and Lizzy Andrew will face each other in the NCAA volleyball tournament regional semifinals.
Alicia is a redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin, while Lizzy is a sophomore middle blocker for Stanford.
Alicia and Lizzy Andrew have similarities on and off the court as they each contribute to college volleyball powerhouses.

MADISON — It did not take long for Alicia Andrew to text her younger sister after watching the NCAA volleyball selection show with her Wisconsin teammates in a lounge area in the south end zone of Camp Randall Stadium.

“I was like, ‘Girl!’” Andrew said. “She’s like, ‘I know! I’ll see you in Texas! And I was like, ‘I’m so excited!’”

Andrew will not see her younger sister in the Gregory Gym stands like any other family members, but rather on the court as an opposing player in the Badgers’ NCAA tournament regional semifinal match against Stanford.

Alicia Andrew is a 6-foot-3 redshirt senior middle blocker for Wisconsin. Lizzy Andrew is a 6-foot-5 sophomore middle blocker for Stanford. The sisters will play against each other for the first time with a spot in the NCAA regional finals on the line.

“Certainly when you’re having two high-level Division I starters on teams that are top five, top 10 in the country playing the same position, that’s pretty unique,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said. “They’re both talented and competitive. But I also know that the players aren’t going to make it about themselves or the person that’s on the other side of the net. They’re parts of teams that are trying to move on and move forward and play great volley.”

Alicia has naturally fielded questions about the sibling rivalry, but she is “not reading too much into rivalry stuff and just playing this sport.”

“It’s another game,” she said after a recent UW practice. “Yes, it’s her across the net. But it’s a business. We both want to move on to the next round.”

Both players have played key parts in their respective teams’ path to this stage.

Alicia, after transferring from Baylor, is the only UW player to appear in all 98 sets this season and one of five to appear in all 30 matches. She is second on the team with 111 blocks, barely trailing fellow middle blocker Carter Booth’s 119.

“Really wants to be good for the people around her,” Sheffield said of Alicia. “Wants to do her job. Takes pride in her job. There’s a maturity, but yet there’s a playfulness that is a really good balance for her. Love coaching her. She’s wired the right way. She really is.”

Lizzy, meanwhile, ranks seventh in the country with a .441 hitting percentage in 2025 after earning a spot on the all-ACC freshman team in 2024. She also has experience playing with the U.S. U21 national team.

“I’m so proud of how hard she worked and her journey to Stanford,” Alicia said. “She puts in so much work, and she just loves the sport of volleyball. And I have loved watching her grow. It’s been fun to see her get better and better every year. And this past season, she’s been playing lights out.”

That pride has turned Alicia into a frequent viewer of ACC volleyball, of course whenever it has not conflicted with the Badgers’ own matches.

“We try to watch as many of each other’s games as we can, and I always just love watching her play,” she said. “I’m so proud of her. She’s just worked her tail off at Stanford, so to see her excel has been so fun.”

The Andrew sisters — Alicia, Lizzy and Natalie, who is on the rowing team at the U.S. Naval Academy — competed together in high school. (They also have a younger brother, William.) Competing against each other is a new concept for them, though.

“We’re not huge trash talkers, neither one of us,” Alicia said. “So I think that she’s going to play her game. I’m going to play my game. We’re going to have our heads down. There might be some looking across and smiling because we make the exact same expressions and quirky faces and reactions.”

The sisters don’t look the same – Lizzy has blonde hair and Alicia has brown hair. But Alicia quickly sees the resemblance with those on-court mannerisms.

“If there’s a silly play or if there is like a really unexpected dump or something, she’ll turn around and make the exact same face that I will,” Alicia said. “And it’s funny watching her on TV because I’m like, ‘Wow, that looks scary familiar.’”

They have some similarities off the court, too.

“We’re just goobers,” Alicia said. “We just like to have a good time together. Obviously she’s my little sister, but we have always been a close family — like all the siblings — so I feel like we’ve done all the things together growing up in all the sports.”

The Andrew parents are perhaps the biggest winners of the NCAA tournament bracket.

“My parents were super excited,” Alicia said. “They don’t have to split the travel plan, so they can save some frequent flyer miles there and both be in Texas. … They’re always trying to coordinate all the schedules.”

The Andrew family made T-shirts for the unique sisterly matchup. (Alicia thinks she is getting one considering they asked her and Lizzy for their shirt sizes in the family group chat.) The shirts are black, too, so there is no favoritism between Wisconsin and Stanford’s variations of cardinal red.

“They have a Stanford ‘S’ and a tree on it and then a Wisconsin ‘W’ and a little Badger on it, too,” Andrew said. “They’re really excited about these shirts. They’re being non-biased; they’re repping both daughters.”

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Wisconsin

8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

Published

2 days ago

December 10, 2025

Press Room

8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

RICHMOND TOWNSHIP, Wis. (FOX 9) – A crash in western Wisconsin killed an 8-year-old boy and seriously injured a 27-year-old Wednesday morning.

Fatal crash in Richmond Township, Wisconsin

What we know:

According to St. Croix County, just before 10 a.m., deputies responded to a crash on the 1500 block of County Road A.

Authorities say that a 27-year-old woman was driving a van southbound, and lost control on an icy curve and collided with another vehicle.

The woman suffered serious injuries from the crash and was taken to the hospital to be treated, law enforcement said. The boy was critically injured, and was also taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Both were wearing seat belts during the crash.

The driver of the other vehicle was treated for minor injuries at the scene and was released.

This is the 10th traffic fatality in St. Croix County.

What we don’t know:

The current condition of the woman is unknown.

The Source: A press release from St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office.

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