Five reported wildfires occurred Oct. 30 within Wayne National Forest as a result of the severe drought in Southeast Ohio.
The fires remained isolated on forest land and were promptly extinguished by the Wayne National Forest’s Fire Management Program, according to a press release by the U.S. Forest Service.
The five occurrences are just a few of the fires the Athens area has experienced recently.
Andrew Pascarella, Wayne National Forest’s fire management officer, said there have been eight fires in the Wayne National Forest, all occurring within the last two weeks.
According to a press release by the U.S. Forest Service, the fires that occurred Oct. 30 took place in the Marietta Unit, the Athens Ranger District and the Ironton Ranger District.
The Blair Fire was the largest, stretching 9 acres in the Marietta Unit. The Athens Ranger District experienced two fires, one in North County, which was half an acre, and one in Salt Run, which was 2 acres. Two fires broke out in the Ironton Ranger District. The Brady Creek Fire spanned 2 acres, and the 93 fire spanned half an acre.
Pascarella said there is currently no estimate on the financial impact of the fires, but the fire management office did seek more resources for them.
“We don't have exact dollar amounts, but we did request funding through our regional office,” Pascarella said. “(The funding is) called Severity to preposition resources on the forest to provide an uptick in the amount of people around for protection.”
The wildfires are mostly caused by the unusually dry climate in the Athens County area. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, the land the Wayne National Forest is located on is currently experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
Aaron Wilson, the state climatologist, said these conditions have ripened the area for disasters like wildfires.
“This is the time of the year where fuel and fire potential goes up every year because typically in the lower relative humidity, windier conditions, and dry conditions, but the drought sort of exacerbated these conditions this year,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the current drought in Southeast Ohio is one of the most intense since 2002, with previous severe droughts occurring in 1999 and 1988.
Wilson also said the Division of Forestry highlighted the availability of long-burning fuels, such as downed trees and wheat litter, which increased fire potential. This created more available fuel for the fires which sparked Oct. 30.
To help protect the local land, Ohio has initiated a seasonal burn ban, which prohibits open burning from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The burn ban is expected to last until Nov. 30 and is a regular restriction that aims to minimize the possibility of wildfires.
In addition to the burn ban, the U.S Forest Service urges local residents to remain diligent and careful when lighting a fire at night, according to a press release. They also ask locals to report any sightings of smoke or fire to emergency authorities immediately.
Wilson said the Hocking Hills area has had over nine inches of rainfall below average over the last six months, with some areas in Noble County and Guernsey County experiencing over a foot of deficit.
The summer heat and evaporation have further depleted soil and surface moisture, adding to the current wildfire risk, Wilson said.
The conditions in the area have become better, as the state has been experiencing increased rainfall. Wilson commented on how the circumstances are a positive sign that the local land will be less fire-prone in the coming weeks.
“Last week was a week where most of the state picked up a little bit above average precipitation per week,” Wilson said. “We hadn't had a week like that in quite some time ... that will help alleviate drought conditions.”
Wilson said the improvement has just begun and signs point to continued positive changes through the winter season.
