Fire advisory: prime wildfire conditions this weekend

The South Carolina Forestry Commission sent out an alert today to residents and visitors in all counties of especially favorable conditions for wildfires this weekend due to dry conditions and increased outdoor activity.

Fire Chief for the State Forestry Commission Darryl Jones explains the facilitating weather conditions:

In the wake of the hurricane Earl coming through, we do have low relative humidity, and we’ve kind of gotten in a dry period, so that means a lot our fuels–the things where wildfires start, straw and grass–are really dry.

What makes this weekend particularly liable for wildfire ignition is holiday activity: Labor Day bonfires, football season grilling, firecrackers–all of which provide more opportunities for wildfires to start.

Jones says the best precautionary measure would be to postpone any outdoor burning plans because of the weather conditions. However, if burning is inevitable, Jones says you must notify the Forest Commission when and where you’re burning.

You have to have a fire break around it. You have to have some kind of equipment there–a water hose or a tractor or two–help you keep the fire from escaping. And you need to stay with the fire, and just make sure somebody is there supervising that fire the whole time.

Recent budget cuts have also reduced the Forest Commission’s capacity. “The fire may get a little bigger before we can get there, just because we have fewer people to respond.”

Aging firefighting “dozers” also worry Jones.

The older the equipment it is, the less reliable it is, and we just haven’t had funds in the last three to four years to replace the end of these tractors. So, about half of our fleet or so is beyond the 15-year replacement cycle.

Jones says firefighters are doing their job, but people do need to be particularly careful starting fires this holiday weekend.