(ABC 6 News) – Spring has arrived across southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa, and while we often associate spring with wet conditions, that has not been the case this year.

This past weekend alone, there were multiple brush fires in the Rochester area, with one in Pine Island, two in Byron, and one in Eyota.

Spring is often the most common time for wildfires in Minnesota and Iowa, primarily because of the amount of dry vegetation lingering from the winter. With vegetation “green-out” still a few weeks away, this dry vegetation can serve as fuel for spreading fire.

“With the really dry conditions and the wind and you know the spring weather we are accustomed to without the moisture, everything is starting to turn into kindling and what we saw was some very innocent fires that really got out of control” says Byron City Administrator Al Roder.

The windy and dry conditions across the region as of the last few weeks have increased this fire danger, as well as made it more difficult for firefighters to fight these fires.

But it isn’t just brush or grass fires that are difficult to put out with windy conditions, it’s also structural fires. WIP Fitness in Rochester, MN experiences a fire early Monday morning. Rochester firefighters say the windy conditions certainly did not make their jobs any easier when it came to confirming if the fire was fully extinguished.

Related: Fire forces Rochester fitness studio to cancel classes

If you would like to support WIP Fitness, you can reach out to the gym by calling 507-206-4287 or its email address at info@wip-fitness.com.

With all of that said, officials caution the public against burning in general with the current conditions across the area, including recreational fires.

“When it’s ultra dry like this, it’s always a bad idea to have a fire, even recreational fire right now is pretty tenuous, because it’s so dry. Think about what you are working with, your surroundings, your conditions, and just be smart” says Al.

If you wish to conduct a controlled burn, Byron and Rochester officials say that you will need a permit, and you will need to get in contact with your local fire department to provide them information on when and where you will be conducting a controlled burn.