Kentucky Forestry officials said drought conditions this fall led to a very active fire season in the state. In the months of October and November large forest fires were reported in several central and eastern Kentucky counties. Thousands of firefighters from the commonwealth and surrounding states responded to the blazes.
Kentucky Division of Forestry Fire Management Chief Michael Froelich said the 2022 fall fire season was a substantial one.
“We’ve had almost 200 percent more fires than we did last year and we’ve actually had almost over 400 plus more percentage of acres burnt this fall. This is a contribution of the drought,” said Froelich.
This fall more than 1,220 fires burned 58,000 acres in the Commonwealth.
Froelich said in addition to ground debris, they saw large 16 to 18-inch diameter trees burn from the center out.
“Because that tree may have had a scar on the bottom that was burning it and keeping it burning with the drier fuel moisture that was out there and watching these large trees fall down. So, it’s just a lot more fire behavior that we’ve not really seen here in the state of Kentucky for many years,” said Froelich.
Fall fire restrictions prohibiting burning near woodlands between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. end December 15. Regardless, Froelich said people should take precautions around burning, such as having water nearby.
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