WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. - Far away wildfires in Canada, and recently New Jersey, have been blanketing much of Delmarva in a haze of choking smoke.
But Delmarvans need to be vigilant to make sure the smoke doesn't become locally produced.
"This spring we have had an increase in fire activity over last year," said Gilbert Wagner, a fire specialist with the Maryland Forest Service.
In fact, WBOC's Kyle Orens was on the scene of a small brush fire at the Wawa in Delmar, Del. Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters believe the small fire may have been set by an improperly discarded cigarette.
Dry soil and empty ditches are becoming a feature in the fields of Maryland's Eastern Shore.
"There hasn't been a long-soaking rain. It's all been hard rain, or a fast rain that's just ran off. So it's not getting in the ground and staying in the ground," Wagner said.
After receiving abundant rain in April, rainfall in Salisbury has been more than two inches below normal since the start of May.
Rural fire departments, such as the Willards Volunteer Fire Company, have been reminding their volunteers to stay vigilant to respond to what could turn out to be a busy wildfire season if we don't see more rain.
"That if they hear their pager go off, hear the siren go off, to make a response because any and all help on deck, we need it," said David Merritt, a paramedic with the company.
Most wildfires are caused by humans - and can be easily avoided.
"Ninety-nine percent of the wildfires really anywhere in the State of Maryland, not just the Eastern Shore are caused by people," Wagner said. "Whether it's somebody burning and the fire gets away from them. Or it could be arson. It's some sort of human contact, or human caused fire."
The Willards VFC can often be seen along Route 50 east of Salisbury.
"Probably one of the most careless items is people flicking out a cigarette while they're driving down the road. We will have fires in the median along Route 50," Merritt said.
Merritt also noted that many volunteer fire companies are short-staffed, and are always looking for new, committed volunteers.
Not all fires are caused by carelessness. Necessary agricultural activities can trigger wildfires if conditions remain dry.
"We also have the possibility of combine fires, field fires from that, so the price of that equipment is not cheap, so we need to make a rapid response to that," Merritt said.
As of Wednesday evening, there were no burn bans on Delmarva. But Wagner is urging anyone planning to do outdoor burns in the coming weeks to check with the Maryland Forest Services for updates on burn bans, burn restrictions, and obtaining burn permits - which are free and come with helpful tips.
