Firefighters who have been manning fire lines in Western North Carolina are headed home today for much needed rest, but they are not "out of the woods" in respect to the 1999 spring fire season.

The light rains received in much of the mountain region have not spread across the entire state, and even areas that have received rain will dry out very quickly with the winds forecasted for Friday and Saturday. As a result, State Forestry officials have decided, at least for now, to leave the burning ban in effect for the 32 western counties in North Carolina.

Regional Forester Tommy Thompson said the light rain received this morning is not enough to reduce the long-term fire danger. Gusty winds are predicted for Friday and Saturday, so fire danger could return to a dangerous level by the weekend. Thompson said the Division would continue to monitor the burning ban situation closely.

On Wednesday, DFR personnel responded to 58 wildfires, which burned 263 acres across the state. Eight of those fires burned in the mountain region, consuming six acres. A fast response by volunteer fire departments and DFR crews is credited with keeping the fires small.

This year is shaping up to be one of the worst fire years in recent history for North Carolina. At the mid-point of the spring fire season, normally March through May, 15,560 acres of woodland has already burned compared with 15,700 acres for all of last year. The last really severe fire year in North Carolina was 1986 when 5,500 fires burned 113,000 acres across the state. Below is a summary of forest fire data since 1986.

Date Posted: 04/15/99

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