This time of year can present increased wildfire risks in southeastern Kentucky. The remnants of Hurricane Helene may have changed that situation, but for how long is the question?
Many portions of Kentucky went from drought to drenched over just a few days. U.S. Forest Service Public Affairs Staff Officer Tim Eling said all that rain really only raised the mark to the average for the year. Eling says the rain certainly did help to lessen the fire risk.
“As we move in deeper into the fall, tends to be dryer, lower humidities, less rain, leaves falling. We could still move into having potentially a fire season,” said Eling.
Eling said cool brisk winds in the fall hasten drying out.
He said the winds knocked down more than leaves; lots of limbs and in some cases trees in southeast Kentucky.
“As those items kind of dry out, we move deeper into the fall, there’s a lot more fuel on the ground that could potentially increase the dangers of a wildfire,” said Eling.
Eling said currently the staff size in the Forest Service to fight wildfires in Kentucky is a bit smaller. 20 workers headed south to help with hurricane recovery efforts. In addition to not burning brush between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. until December 15th, Eling said sufficiently dousing campfire sites is important.