LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Thursday's weather doesn't exactly pose a huge threat for fires, but we've had our fair share of wind lately.
It's timely, as Wednesday marked the beginning of spring wildfire hazard season.
"We have burn restrictions in place," said Chris Scott, Assistant Fire Management Chief for the Kentucky Division of Forestry.
Beginning Feb. 15 through Apr. 30, there is no burning from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. within 150 feet of any woodland or brushland.
"One of the things that we see a lot is if somebody's burning debris, they'll actually leave the burn pile," Scott said. "It is also a state law that if someone is burning that they stay with that burn pile."
Climate in the spring poses more of a danger for fires spreading.
"Sometimes the option may be not to burn on a certain day if it's windy," Scott said. "We ask that folks really take that into consideration."
State officials say there's more of a chance of wildfires in March and April. Of course, more people spend time outside sometimes burning debris.
"Lot of time folks are burning on windy days," said Scott. "We would ask that people try not to burn on windy days because that's when we can have some fires escape."
While not always intentional, this time of year it is more common. The Division of Forestry responds to more than 1,000 wildfires a year across the state.
"In the last week, we've responded to 91 fires statewide that have burned around 2,100 acres," Scott added.
