NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Five wildfires ignited in the Wayne National Forest across three different ranger districts on the evening of Oct. 30.
The five fires have been extinguished but forest officials are urging the public to report any sightings of smoke or flame to emergency officials. The public has been asked to avoid the locations of the fires to allow forest personnel to conduct clean up procedures.
According to Wayne National Forest Spokesperson Anna Owens, the acreage and locations of the fires are as follows:
Athens Ranger District:
North Country Fire; 1/2 acre
Salt Run Fire; two acres
Marietta Unit:
Blair Fire; nine acres
Ironton Ranger District:
Brady Creek Fire; two acres
93 Fire; ½ acre
In a Facebook post, Forest Supervisor Lee Stewart said that the public is an important partner in preventing wildfires.
“Our firefighters are working around the clock as they respond to these new wildfires, so we’re asking the public to do their part to avoid additional wildfires,” Stewart wrote. “This means complying with the state’s open burn ban during the daytime and being cautious if you light a fire at night. The drought conditions that we are currently experiencing have increased the likelihood of an accidental spark or unattended fire to quickly become a wildfire.”
Ohio’s annual fall burn ban prohibits Ohioans from having open burns from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the months of October and November. This is due to fall weather which brings cooler weather with low humidity, creating conditions that are ripe for wildfires.
The Wayne National Forest is well prepared to tackle any wildfires that pop up; each ranger unit is equipped with at least one fire engine and a staff of firefighters. Additionally, the Wayne National Forest has 23 full-time staff members working on fire management.
In a prior interview with the Independent, Assistant Forest Fire Management Officer Jeremy Waite said that the fire management team can call upon additional forest staff to assist in putting out fires.
“We rely heavily on our other employees in the Wayne National Forest that are … certified to fight fire,” Waite said. “We use those as a surge force when we are super dry and busy.”
The Wayne National Forest is providing fire updates via its Facebook page.
