Wildfire advisory issued for most of Alabama amid Hurricane Ian

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - With Alabama situated on the dry side of Hurricane Ian, the Alabama Forestry Commission has issued a wildfire advisory for most of the state.

On Wednesday, Alabama will be seeing lower than normal relative humidity and stronger winds across the state, meaning conditions are favorable for wildfires to start easily, spread rapidly, and be difficult to control. Because Alabama is already experiencing dry conditions heading into the event, Hurricane Ian will elevate fire danger for the state.

“Until we get some significant rainfall, everyone should just use extreme caution right now,” said Balsie Butler, assistant division director of Forest Protection for the Alabama Forestry Commission.

The Alabama Forestry Commission is urging caution on any outdoor burning. If you must burn, or have burned in the last few days, residents should check their fires to make sure they are properly extinguished. Smoking piles immediately adjacent to flammable vegetation have the chance to rekindle and spread under these conditions.

The Alabama Forestry Commission says weather predictions for Alabama on Wednesday include relative humidity under 25% and sustained winds close to 15 mph with stronger gusts in areas.

“These are conditions that you don’t want to burn in because it makes any escape from your containment very difficult to control,” Butler said. “Most fires that we respond to come from landowners and stakeholders who lit a fire on a day when they probably should have just waited.”

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings on Wednesday for all of the state except for parts of north Alabama.

According to the Alabama Forestry Commission, in 2021, there were 756 fires in Alabama that consumed just over 13,000 acres between Jan. 1 - Sept. 28.

In 2022, there have been 1,250 fires that have consumed over 30,000 acres during that same time frame.

“So we are well ahead of our normal statistics,” Butler said.

If you must burn, the Alabama Forestry Commission urges residents to get a burn permit and to notify their local fire department.

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