<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0gfawO_1A7Aynsb00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0gfawO_1A7Aynsb00" width="1200" height="600" >PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - A campfire in Caribou is raising concerns about spring fire risk, especially in remote and off-grid areas. Maine Forest Service officials say dry conditions and a mild winter could make this an early and active season.Snow is starting to melt across Aroostook County and with it, forest fire risk is already beginning to rise. From camps reopening to spring cleanup projects, more people are heading outdoors, and officials say this year, conditions are already a concern.“So we’ve actually experienced a couple of fires throughout the winter. Some of them, you know, they’re about a half an acre, so a quarter of an acre,” said Carson Hartman, public information officer and forest ranger with the Maine Forest Service.Hartman said a dry fall, low snowpack and ongoing drought conditions are setting the stage for a potentially active fire season, especially in wooded and remote areas.“The way I would explain it is that we have seen some changes over the last, you know, five or so years to where we’re having, you know, we’re still in a drought right now. We didn’t really have a heavy winter. We didn’t have a wet fall as well,” Hartman said.A recent fire destroyed a camp in Caribou, a location crews had to reach by ATV. Situations like that highlight just how quickly fires can grow and how difficult they can be to contain off the grid.“We know that people are going to, you know, enjoy the warmer weather and they’re going to start, you know, doing odds and ends around their house. We just really encourage people to, you know, to continue to talk with the town wardens, fire chiefs obtained burn permits. And, you know, it’s and to be to be careful because obviously it’s still cold this time of year. But you know, we’ve had some fires in the past that have been started from ashes,” Hartman said.Hartman said in recent years, fire seasons are lasting longer and starting earlier.“We’ve had a really busy spring season, to an active late summer season, which carries over into the fall as well. So we’re seeing more of that, you know, drier, drier times of the year, especially in that fall time, and yeah, we definitely noticed a change,” Hartman said.With warmer weather on the way, the next few weeks could be telling for how the rest of the season goes.“We’ll see what the spring season brings if we get along of rain April into May that might help out,” Hartman said.For now, officials are urging caution, especially in remote camp areas where help may take longer to arrive.</div></body>

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PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - A campfire in Caribou is raising concerns about spring fire risk, especially in remote and off-grid areas. Maine Forest Service officials say dry conditions and a mild winter could make this an early and active season. Snow is starting to melt across Aroostook County and...

Maine forest fire risk rising as spring arrives

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PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - A campfire in Caribou is raising concerns about spring fire risk, especially in remote and off-grid areas. Maine Forest Servic

Maine forest fire risk rising as spring arrives

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