RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – Several thousand acres have burned in North Carolina since a late March burn ban was put in place, and with no signs of major rainfall the State Forest Service is keeping that in place.
The Forest Service reports that since the state-issued ban on open burning was enacted March 28, a total of 554 wildfires has burned more than 2,200 acres across the state. With little rainfall or improvement expected over the next 7-10 days, the statewide burn ban and enforcement action will continue until further notice.
“Even with a burn ban in place we are continuing to see significant wildfire activity across the state because of conditions,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler in a press release. “Persistent drought, warmer temperatures, low humidity and no rainfall, mean fires start quickly, spread quickly and burn intensely, which makes them harder to contain, control and extinguish. Our N.C. Forest Service staff will continue to monitor conditions and respond to wildfires across the state, but the public can help by following the burn ban and taking care with anything that can start a fire.”
Of the 554 wildfires that have burned since the burn ban took effect, only four have been determined to be the result of lightning strikes. Preliminary data indicates that 152 of those 554 wildfires were determined to be human caused, with the remainder listed as unknown or undetermined, likely pending law enforcement investigation and action. Since the state’s burn ban took effect, 150 citations have been issued for illegal burning.
Reducing the number of new fires is critical for sustaining adequate resource availability for an extended period, making state-issued bans a necessary tool for keeping wildfires contained and as small as possible until fully extinguished.
The public is urged to abide by the burn ban and to also use extreme caution with equipment, machines, mowers, vehicles on dry grass, smoking materials such as cigarettes, or anything that can throw a spark. In current high-risk conditions, these could be a possible fire source. While not classified as open burning and not affected by the state’s ban on open burning, they are still contributors to new fire starts across the state.
To see fire danger in your area, use the fire danger map and fire danger statements, both available online.