As of Friday morning, crews were responding to 32 active and 37 contained fires throughout the Commonwealth. But the Kentucky Division of Forestry says a forecasted drop in humidity early next week could see eastern Kentucky continue to be at risk for more wildfires.
Kessley Baker is the Division’’s Wildfire Mitigation Specialist and acting public information officer. She says rain and drops in temperature through Friday gives firefighters a head start, but there’s still more work to be done.
“It only takes a little while of sunshine to dry out leaves and other fire fuels,” Baker said. So we are pressing people to continue following the fire restrictions for the fall fire season.”
That means following county burn bans and staying alert during outdoor activities. Deer hunting season for modern guns began Saturday.
“Anyone that is out hunting in the woods, or doing any sort of activities in the forest, just be aware that a lot of places we do have wildfires,” Baker said.
Burn bans in place as of Friday include those in Breathitt, Bullitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Letcher, Metcalfe, Morgan, Nelson, Perry, Pike and Whitley counties.
Baker says to check the Division of Forestry’s Facebook page for regular updates and stay informed on local air quality in the meantime.
Information on active and contained fires is available on Kentucky’s Wildfire Public Viewer.
