Atmore bans burning; officials warn others on dry conditions
The Alabama Forestry Commission has issued a 'fire danger advisory' for all 67 counties in Alabama; officials in Atmore have issued a 'no burn' order within the city limits and other fire chiefs across the area are warning people not to burn due to the extremely dry conditions.
“We don't have a no burn order at this time,” said Flomaton Fire Chief Steve Stanton. “We can't tell people not to burn but we are asking them not to burn.”
Stanton said the extremely dry conditions in addition to winds make it prime for a trash pile fire to turn into something major.
“If we don't get some significant rain soon, the state may issue a burn ban,” Stanton said. “Right now its just a fire alert asking people not to burn anything outside.”
Stanton said burning a small pile of leaves or other debris can quickly get out of hand due to the current conditions.
According to information released by the forestry commission, 192 reported fires have burned about 2,200 acres over the past few weeks.
“It's been extremely dry, which creates a lot of fuel in dry grasses and other plants,” Stanton said. “A lot of big fires start with someone simply trying to burn a small pile of trash.”
