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ZEBULON - Extreme drought and winds associated with Hurricane Matthew have increased fire danger in Georgia. As a result, the Georgia Forestry Commission has stopped issuing burn permits as of October 7, 2016 and is urging everyone to be extremely vigilant as conditions for wildfire escalate.
"The Georgia Forestry Commission has responded to 124 wildfires burning about a thousand acres since Monday," said Frank Sorrells, Chief of Protection for the Georgia Forestry Commission. “In addition, many of our resources are now on or near the Georgia coast for hurricane assistance. While wildland fire suppression will be our primary focus to ensure we have the capacity to respond to wildfires quickly, we are providing preparedness and response resources as much as possible to areas the hurricane is expected to impact. Burn permits have been discontinued and permits for the next several days will be evaluated at the county level, based on weather and availability of resources," Sorrells said.
Sorrells said land clearing burning with air curtain destructors that follows Environmental Protection Division requirements is still allowed.
Fire activity in Georgia has increased 85 percent in the past week, with several in the northwest and central parts of the state, according to Sorrells. The exceptional drought, along with a drop in relative humidity and increased winds resulting from Hurricane Matthew, can be expected to escalate fire intensity. Falling leaves and dry ground fuel will further complicate conditions over the next few weeks.
"Our first priority remains safety - for the public and for our wildland firefighters," Sorrells said. These are serious and extraordinary conditions which require everyone's keen awareness."
Updates on fires and GFC hurricane response can be found on the Georgia Forestry Commission Facebook page and on Twitter at @gatrees. For more information about fire safety and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org.
Update October 10, 2016:
Jeff Kenerly, Chief Ranger Sr./District Safety Officer of the Georgia Forestry Commission for the Clayton-Lamar-Pike-Spalding-Upson County area, advised the following by email this morning, "Until further notice permits will be restricted due to weather conditions, Hurricane response, and fire activity."
He also advised that, "According to morning report we only have 11 personnel available with some units showing no availability. We have 3 large fires currently just north of us in Dade county (900 acres), Walker County (500 acres), and another in Floyd County (approximately 1,000 acres). We had 11 fires yesterday in district. A type III team has been ordered for Rome as of yesterday evening. Given all going on in Georgia, lack of rain, low humidity, we are stretched thin and must be diligent to reduce fire potential."
He said that our drought index is from 560 to over 700 depending on location in district, and there is no rain in the forecast for the next several days with humidities that are predicted to be in the low to mid 20's. "I know this is not our normal procedures, however it is what we need to do at this time."
To see a picture of the Moisture Index for the state, click here.
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