Officials with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry issued a warning to residents statewide on Tuesday, asking them to be very careful due to the heightened fire risk.
The agency reported over 20,000 acres have been charred from 837 wildfires so far this year, thanks in-part to extremely dry conditions. Some parts of Tennessee are classified in a severe drought situation, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Little or no rain is forecast for the next 10 days and TDF Director Patrick Sheehan says everyone in the state needs to be aware of how conditions now are right for one small spark to ignite a blaze outdoors. The city of Kingsport instituted a burn ban last week due to the very dry conditions.
If outdoor burning cannot be avoided, TDF recommends the following tips:
• Avoid burning on dry, windy days.
• Burn late in the day after the wind has quieted and humidity begins to increase, usually after 5:00 p.m.
• Check to see if weather changes are expected. Outdoor burning should be postponed if shifts in wind direction, higher winds or wind gusts are forecast.
• Before doing any burning, establish wide control lines down to bare mineral soil at least five feet wide around any burn barrels and even wider around brush piles and other piled debris to be burned. The larger the debris pile, the wider the control line needed to ensure that burning materials won’t be blown or roll off the pile into vegetation outside the line.
• Stay with all outdoor fires until they are completely out.
• Keep water and hand tools ready in case your fire should attempt to spread.
• If you burn in a burn barrel or other trash container, be sure it is equipped with a ½” mesh screen or metal grid to keep burning material contained.
• Stay abreast of wildfire danger levels and heed warnings and bans on outdoor burning.
• Be aware of where your smoke is going. Avoid burning when your smoke will be bothersome to neighbors or sensitive locations such as highways.
From WCYB 5 News: https://www.wcyb.com/news/tennessee/tennessee-forestry-officials-call-for-extra-fire-safety/131444355