Nanafalia fire one of more than 1,900 wildfires since Oct. 1
The Marengo County office of the Alabama Forestry Commission leaped into action Saturday afternoon to battle a blaze in Nanafalia, the 18th such wildfire in the county since Oct. 1.
“It was about 1:40 we got the call of a fire off the highway. It’s unknown really how it started. We’re, more than likely, figuring it was a passerby who flicked a cigarette out the window. It’s dry enough,” Bill Carlisle, forestry specialist with the Alabama Forestry Commission, said of the inferno that firefighters battled for three hours Saturday. “Luckily enough, where it was at, part of it is farmland and the direction the wind was blowing the fire was actually blowing it into a cotton field that had already been harvested, tilled, and plowed. It was bare dirt, so the fire didn’t have anywhere else to go. We were able to cut it off. If it would’ve been a pine plantation or homes in the direction the fire was going, it would’ve been a devastating fire.”
AFC forestry specialists teamed with volunteer fire departments from South Marengo, Sweet Water and Putnam to combat the flames as smoke billowed onto nearby highways 10 and 69.
“We had to have help with traffic because of the smoke covering the highway. Also, their brush trucks were able to help us out to help contain it,” Carlisle said.
DROUGHT CONDITIONS ENABLING RECORD WILDFIRE NUMBERS
While wildfires have become far more common locally during extreme drought conditions over the last two months, Marengo County has fared far better than many other parts of the state.
“Just in Marengo County, we’ve been lucky. This will be fire No. 18 since Oct.1. In Marengo County alone, there probably has burned a little over 100 acres,” Carlisle said. “We’ve been fortunate to keep the small, but the threat is there as dry as it is.”
According to data released by the Alabama Forestry Commission Tuesday, 1,940 wildfires in Alabama have burned 22,700 acres across the state since Oct. 1.
“Those would be timberlands, grasslands, farmland,” Carlisle said. “Most of those are going to be started from people not heeding to the burn ban that we’re under due to the extreme drought. Most of these started from people still burning their leaves and still burning trash. We’ve had several arson cases also statewide.”
The threat of wildfire under current drought conditions is so extreme that Governor Robert Bentley announced Nov. 11 that a $5,000 reward would be issued for anyone providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person responsible for setting wildfires.
Under the current Drought Emergency ‘No Burn’ Order, Section 9-13-141 of the Code of Alabama states that it is illegal for any person to set fire to any forest, grass, woods, wildlands or marshes; to build a campfire or bonfire; or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass or woods fire.
“The extreme drought conditions are posing a real danger to Alabama wildland and property. If any person is setting a wildfire, law enforcement needs to be notified so the appropriate action can be taken,” Bentley said via press release. “The purpose of this $5,000 reward is to try to identify anyone who is deliberately setting wildfires.”
Bentley went a step further Monday, announcing $690,000 in emergency funds for the support of efforts by the AFC and fire departments in the combatting of statewide wildfires.
“In recent months, Alabama has faced extreme drought conditions that have enabled a record number of fires to form across the state,” Governor Bentley said. “The Alabama Forestry Commission and local fire departments are to be commended for their countless hours of service and efforts in keeping Alabamians safe. With no significant rain in sight, I know the emergency funds will help cover some of the expenses AFC personnel are facing as they are working to contain fires throughout the state.”
From October 1 to November 7, AFC has spent $1,128,000 in equipment usage, repairs, fuel, and man-hours worked, as well as 8,000 hours in compensatory time accrual. In the process of battling wildfires across the state, the agency is expending both resources and funding in an inordinately short time. For that same time period, AFC is over budget by approximately $470,000. Although the agency has tried to stay within budget, the wildfires have maxed out financial resources.
“These emergency funds will go a long way in protecting lives and property across the state,” said Gary M. Cole, Interim State Forester. “The costs incurred from this unusually intense fall wildfire season have already depleted the Alabama Forestry Commission’s wildfire suppression budget, and we have yet to face the more significant fire season in the spring. We are grateful to Governor Bentley for providing this necessary financial assistance.”
As of November 7th, all 67 counties in the state of Alabama have been placed under a ‘No Burn’ order which prohibits all outdoor burning.
“If you’re a smoker, be safe with the cigarettes. Put it out in a bottle of water or something. Don’t thump it out the car window. Running equipment, a lot of time people still may be bailing a little hay or riding four-wheelers in the woods. Make sure their exhaust systems are up to par with spark arresters,” Carlisle advised. “Try to avoid driving any vehicle through high grass. That will start a fire. If you’re running a chainsaw and you set a hot chainsaw on dry grass, that could spark a fire also.”
The ‘No Burn’ order will remain in effect until rescinded by the State Forester, at which time conditions will have changed sufficiently to reduce the occurrence and frequency of wildfires.