Putnam County Fire Officials calling for residents to be very careful when burning outdoors as dry conditions and high winds increase the risk of brush fires.
Fire Chief Jeff Hicks said the current lack of spring rainfall has created a dangerous environment where fires must be taken more seriously than usual. Even with humidity increasing in recent days, the concern remains.
“Fires right now are something we always take seriously, but it means a lot more when you have conditions like this,” Hicks said. “People should be using extreme caution if they’re trying to burn outside or if they’re working outside with something that emits sparks – grinding, any kind of metal work, stuff like that.”
Hicks said the department recently responded to a brush fire on Buck Mountain that spread within 10 feet of a residence. Hicks said the homeowner was forced to use a garden hose from inside the house to protect the structure until fire crews arrived.
“It’s up on the mountain, so it changes so rapidly, you can just be in trouble before you know it,” Hicks said. “So if you’re going to burn, try to keep it small and don’t leave it.”
Hicks said the authority to issue a formal burn ban typically rests with the governor’s office or the state. Hicks said the county department generally follows the guidance of forestry officials to enforce safety measures during periods of low humidity.
“Doesn’t mean that, you know, as the temperature gets up, the humidity’s probably going to start coming down more and more without the rain, and so that could bring on a burn ban,” Hicks said. “You need to be prepared.”
Hicks said even green grass is beginning to dry out enough to catch fire under the current conditions. Hicks said residents should wet down their burning area and keep hand tools like rakes or shovels nearby to extinguish any sparks that jump.
“We had a guy burning off his garden, it was years ago, and it had been really dry like it is now and he went inside to get him something to drink, sit down for just a minute and cool off,” Hicks said. “And a passerby called it in and it had jumped out of his garden, which is a dirt area, you know, it should have been fine in there, but because he wasn’t with it when it jumped out, he didn’t catch it ’til it’s too late.”
Hicks said the wind in mountainous areas like Monterey can change instantly and cause a small fire to get out of hand within minutes. Hicks said state law requires individuals to stay with an outdoor fire at all times until it is fully extinguished.
“Keep everybody to be safe and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” Hicks said.