Dry and windy mid-fall conditions in the Erie region helped fuel a series of wildfires that scorched acres of mostly open woods and fields and kept area firefighters busy for several days over the past week.
Despite a bit of rain in some spots on Wednesday, the hazardous conditions have not improved and burning bans issued last week remain in place for the foreseeable future, authorities report.
And law enforcement will be on the lookout for those who violate the bans.
“This is 100 percent preventable,” Crawford County emergency management coordinator Allen Clark said Friday of the rash of fires. “When it’s dry and windy, do not burn anything outside. No campfires, no burning garbage, no burning leaves. It’s just devastating to your property and it’s putting all fire and (emergency medical services) at risk.”
How bad were the fires?
The region has seen an “historic” number of wildfires since the beginning of October, said Jay Lindemuth, a fire forester and wildland fire investigator with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.