North Carolina Forest Service discusses wildfire risks in ENC

PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - State forest service officials are warning about a high risk of wildfires across Eastern North Carolina this week, with the goal of keeping everyone safe and informed.

N.C. Forest Service Public Information Officer Philip Jackson says he wants you to be vigilant.

“We see anywhere between 4,500 to 5,000 wildfires each year,” Jackson said.

According to Jackson, continuous dry conditions and wind have contributed to the dangerous risks despite the weekend wintry weather mix seen in Eastern Carolina.

“We got some persistent cold dry air over the last couple of weeks with some wind events mixed in with that, and we’re seeing that this week as well, so even though we’ve had some recent precipitation you have to consider that not everyone got precipitation,” Jackson said.

Tuesday, many parts of the East are seeing a high-risk level on North Carolina’s fire danger map.

Fire danger levels are predicted to increase to a very high-risk level on Wednesday and Thursday in some Eastern Carolina counties. Homeowner Michael Curbin says during dry conditions, he knows it’s not the best idea to use his burn barrel.

“We usually have a fire going but especially when it’s dry like this and you can look at the ground and see there’s nothing green now so it is not the time to be burning because we don’t want embers all over the place,” Corbin said.

Jackson says continuing drought conditions could make it more difficult to control any potential wildfires, so it is important to stay safe and know the risk of burning outdoors.

“It really does start with the folks at home making good judgment calls on when is a good day to burn and to ensure they’re doing it safely and properly,” Jackson said.

Jackson says conditions are expected to improve over the weekend as some rain is expected.

Although there is no state-issued burn ban in place, Jackson advises everyone to think twice before lighting a fire. Jackson says if you do choose to burn, get a burn control permit which can be found on the North Carolina Forest Service website.