Fall wildfire season set to begin for Kentucky firefighters next month, amid dry conditions

Next month marks the start of the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s fall forest fire season, which enacts statewide burn restrictions. That comes as the U.S. Drought Monitor reports 80 percent of Kentucky is already experiencing a drought.

As of this time last year, only 3 percent of Kentucky was experiencing dry conditions.

“We do get these drying trends like this about every 10 to 15 years,” Division of Forestry Fire Management Chief Michael Froelich said. “It comes in just waves, It's a normal cycle.”

27 counties, as well as the cities of Harlan and Benton, currently have burn bans in place.

Froelich says to call 911 immediately if a wildfire starts nearby.

“It may be a prescribed fire and people are out there burning it, but if you see a wildfire and there's nobody around, I highly recommend calling 911, and getting somebody out there so we can get it taken care of,” Froelich said.

It’s also important to make sure any fires are extinguished after camping. Froelich says he expects October and November to bring wetter weather. Hurricane Francine could also postpone fire season in western Kentucky with residual rains.

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