LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentucky is well into its fall fire season.

It starts on October 1st and lasts until December 15th.

As people enjoy the nice weather and fall foliage, the Kentucky Division of Forestry reminds people to be aware of the effects dry weather can have on fires.

“Over the weekend we witnessed around 20 forest fires. We still have about five that are not contained,” said Brandon Howard, director of the Kentucky Division of Forestry. “We are still in a situation where we are not receiving any precipitation – the projected precipitation for the next 10 days is minimal. »

Dry conditions combined with falling leaves fuel the spread of wildfires, meaning that at this time of year our forests are particularly prone to burning.

“We’re getting a new layer of fluffy leaves on the forest floor – and that’s just going to let oxygen get into that leaf material, and that’s going to quickly spread wildfires – much faster than a compacted leaf forest floor.” , Howard explained.

Recently, the Kentucky Division of Forestry purchased a simulator through a grant from the United States Forest Service to help develop strategies to mitigate fires during peak fire seasons by minimizing environments that could fuel their spread.

“If you don’t take any combustible mitigation measures around homes or structures, it can cause us to do a lot more work, and we have less time to stray to put out a fire around homes and structures so to be able to save people’s homes. ” said Michael Froelich, Kentucky KY Division Fire Management Chief. “Remember what Smokey Bear taught us all those years ago: Make sure your campfire is out before you leave, because sometimes fires are started by people who leave fires that they think are out, but which are not.

So, as Kentuckians continue to explore and enjoy the foliage of our state and national parks, be sure to do your part to keep our forests safe.

The Division of Forestry says some of the human-caused fires in Kentucky are often arson. If you notice a fire being intentionally set, you can report arson to the Target Arson Hotline at 1-800-27ARSON.

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