Alabama Forestry Commission issues fire restrictions due to weather conditions
It usually happens in the fall, but the Alabama Forestry Commission has issued springtime fire restrictions due to current weather conditions.
The Alabama Forestry Commission has issued a Fire Danger Advisory for Friday, March 27. The potential for critical fire weather elevates on Saturday, March 28, increasing the threat to a Fire Alert.
By Sunday, March 29, the potential for critical fire weather decreases slightly, lowering the threat issued to a Fire Danger Advisory.
Weather forecasts call for elevated wind speeds and a dry front passage across the state.
That’s why the Alabama Forestry Commission strongly discourages any outdoor burning until conditions improve. It says a lower relative humidity and an increase in wind speed on Saturday are especially concerning.
The combination of these conditions creates a greater-than-average potential for outdoor fires to escape easily and spread rapidly, taking longer – and more of the agency’s firefighting resources – to contain and ultimately control. Fast-moving wildfires not only destroy property and forests but also threaten the lives of citizens and endanger firefighters.
Prescribed burn permits will be limited to only Certified Prescribed Burn Managers on Friday. Permits for outdoor burning will not be issued to anyone on Saturday.
The Alabama Forestry Commission says it plans to resume regular permit issuing on Sunday, March 29, if weather conditions improve.
Anyone who burns a field, grassland, or woodland without a burn permit may be subject to prosecution for committing a Class B misdemeanor.
In the last seven days, 147 wildfires have burned approximately 5,600 acres of forestland across the state. This includes a large wildfire in Wilcox County (963 acres), one for 464 acres in Montgomery County, one for 505 acres in Marengo, and four others over 200 acres in Choctaw, Covington, Etowah and Walker counties.
To report a wildfire, call (800) 392-5679.
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