Knowing fire dangers as Warren County issues burn ban amidst dry conditions

WARREN COUNTY, Ky. – Dry weather and high temperatures have led to some potentially dangerous conditions building up in south-central Kentucky.

We’ve all felt the heat, but very few of us have experienced good rain since the flooding back in May. What we have felt, though, is humidity. But with all the water in the air making it feel oppressive at times, numbers are still showing that there is not enough water for rain.

“Those numbers that we call them PWATS, they are been very low this summer. Even when the fronts come through, sometimes we’ll get one that has some higher numbers. We know we’re going to have some downpours, but by and large, we just haven’t had a lot of available water to get squeezed out of the atmosphere. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been on the humid side, it just means that we haven’t had any excess that basically gets wrung out about Mother Nature,” News 40 meteorologist Scott Burchett said about reason behind this years dry but humid summer.

These dry conditions can pose problems for local fire crews as they fight against conditions ripe for brush fires. And while brush fires aren’t uncommon, conditions are turning favorable for an increase in calls for brush fires.

“Brush fires are regular. We dealt with them on the interstate. As recently as yesterday, we’ve had, spot fires here and there. But, as the temperatures, continue to fluctuate and we continue in a drought, we are projecting that they’re going to increase,” Warren County fire coordinator Bill Rector warned.

Rector says the community also plays a big role in preventing these fires. Being responsible and staying prepared are important, especially if you plan on burning anything for any reason.

“Particularly in this time of the year, this is a widespread challenge that most places are dealing with. And we would encourage everybody to be very cautious about doing that. And, and if at all possible, to delay until we do get some rain because the conditions are ripe for brush fires. And, while we would be prepared to respond. They, they do present a pretty significant challenge and throw in the wind. And it can be a pretty significant issue,” Rector said.

With a burn ban now in place for Warren County, residents are urged to take extreme precaution in preventing brush fires. Bill Rector says that if you do happen to accidentally start a fire or you spot a fire, to call 911 immediately from a safe distance away.