ATLANTA — State fire officials say dry conditions and high winds have led to 490 wildfires across Georgia in the past week.
A Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson said those fires burned nearly 6,200 acres, and there’s a common thread in nearly all of them: outdoor burning.
“Typically what we see are people who are burning debris in their backyard, limbs and leaves and things like that,” said forestry spokesperson Wendy Burnett. “Maybe they just didn’t understand that it was dangerous to do that right now.”
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A fire in Covington on Saturday started as a car fire at a tire shop, but it quickly became a grass fire. A large fire in Twiggs County started from sparks flying from the wheels of a train.
On Saturday, all of Georgia was under a red flag warning, meaning it was especially dangerous to do any outdoor burning. Wind gusts around the state were up to 25 miles an hour or more.
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Burnett said firefighters have been aggressive in putting out the fires, trying to keep burned acreage small and now people need to do their part.
“Just don’t burn outdoors,” she said. “Save it for another day. Those leaves and limbs will be there in a wee or a month, whenever it becomes safe to burn them up.”
A cold front will bring rain to the state late Tuesday and into Wednesday, which will help matters. But Burnett said she expects dry conditions and the wildfire danger to last through March.
“We just ask people to be vigilant and really remember the things Smoky the Bear taught you,” she said.
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