The battle against wildfires in southeastern Kentucky continues. Pike County Emergency Management Director Nee Jackson said they’ve been battling blazes since November 5th, with as many as five fires at one time. He said more than 1-thousand acres have burned, and while crews from the state Division of Forestry have helped, he’s concerned about firefighter fatigue.
“The city of Pikeville was the only paid department in Pike County. So they're relying on volunteer departments, and it's really taxing on the resources. You know, you don't have a whole lot of extra volunteers.
Pike County Judge-Executive Ray Jones ordered a burn ban on November 7th, and Jackson said with continued dry weather expected, the ban will be extended until further notice. He said smoke is causing problems for people with certain health conditions.
“You have a lot of folks that that have breathing issues, and we just advise them, you know, to use their own caution. But you know, if they have to be out, if they need to wear a mask, that's, that's probably the best advice that we can give them.”
Jackson said rain’s expected Friday, but until then, the relative humidity is expected to drop, making conditions ripe for yet more wildfires.
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