Every year the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates an average of 1,000 wildfires occur in Ohio
Every year the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates an average of 1,000 wildfires occur in Ohio.
Since April 2011, there have been 42 wildfires set ablaze in Athens County, according to ODNR data.
During the months of March, April, May, October and November, Ohio enforces a ban on all open fires between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., as an attempt to diminish those numbers.
In the three-year time span, most Athens County fires took place during those five months, most commonly caused by debris burning.
ODNR figures show that 11 of the fires took place in March, 13 in April, one in May, none in October and seven in November.
Only 10 Athens County wildfires took place outside of the banned months for open fires.
So far this year, the county has seen seven wildfires that took place in March and April, four of which were caused by debris burning. In 2013, when there were 19 wildfires, six were caused by debris burning.
Most wildfires in Ohio are caused by weather conditions allowing any fire to spread quickly. The conditions include warm temperatures, wind and low humidity. According to ODNR, the combination of the weather conditions and the hills and valleys in Southeast Ohio creates an even more present danger for wildfires to ignite.
Warren Keirns, chief of Albany Area Fire Department, reiterated the importance of the ban on open fires during the designated months.
He went on to explain when a wildfire takes place, they refer the situation to a state-level authority to get as much help with the fire as possible.
Greg Guess, a fire supervisor for ODNR’s Division of Fire, explained that wildfires in Ohio tend to be smaller than those out West. The fall season in Ohio has multiple factors influencing how strong and long lasting the wildfires will be, he added.
A few factors include how dry of a summer Ohio has had, as well as when the leaf drop happened.
“We were in a really dry September, making it look like we were going to have an early fire season,” Guess said.
But since that time, the state has seen more rainfall, Guess said, which sets Ohio back on track to have a normal fall fire season.
Last year’s fire season had less wildfires than usual throughout the state, he said, adding that this spring was fairly active. He believes that the fall season outcome will all depend on the type of weather we have.
Despite Athens County figures showing the significance of debris-ignited fires, Guess said there’s been a decline of those kinds of wildfires over the last 30 years.
“There’s been less trash burning,” Guess said. “It’s made a big difference.”
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