Virginia Department of Forestry Says Prepare for Potential Severe Wildfire Season

As fire season gets underway and dry conditions continue to plague most of Virginia, department of forestry officials say this could be a severe fall wildfire season.

According to Robert Farrell, State Forester, this fall is among the driest in the Commonwealth in the last 20 years. National Weather Service meteorologist Phil Manuel says many areas in Virginia have went nearly 30 days without significant rainfall. As of Monday, around 24 localities have enacted a burn ban, and department officials ask that any citizen living in those burn ban areas should oblige to all local restrictions until the bans are lifted.

Department of Forestry officials ask citizens to follow these steps to ensure unnecessary fires do not start:

-Don’t burn on windy days

-Keep your burn piles small

-Have water and tools nearby

-Never leave your fire unattended

-If you are burning and your fire escapes, call 911 immediately

For more information, please contact Fred Turck with the Virginia Department of Forestry at (434)-220-8052 or by email at fred.turck@dof.virginia.gov.

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