The Alabama Forestry Commission is continuing its statewide fire alert.

With October historically being Alabama’s driest month, the organization felt that the decision was necessary.

“The Fire Alert is not going away until we receive significant precipitation, meaning several inches of rainfall,” State Forester Rick Oates said Wednesday. “Unfortunately, there is no rain in sight, so the restriction must remain in effect indefinitely.

“With this extremely dry weather, any fire can quickly spread out of control threatening lives and livelihood, not to mention destroying our forests.”

Fire Analyst Ethan Barrett cautioned about the dangers of burning grass and leaves.

“Another thing to consider during drought conditions is that fires may persist or smolder for days in piles of debris,” he said. “If anyone has burned in the past few days, they should closely monitor the burned area to prevent re-ignition of embers. In light fuels such as grass and leaves, there is potential for escape of fires.

“Large diameter fuels (limbs 3 feet or greater in size), may continue to burn for days, if not weeks.”

The forecast for the weekend includes the arrival of two cold fronts which could bring low relative humidity and gusty winds. The possibility of wildfire is high right now. Almost every region of the state has experienced an increase in wildfire activity.

The commission said, as of Friday, it will not issue burn permits and anyone caught burning a field, grassland, or woodland without a burn permit could be charged with a Class B misdemeanor.

The alert was first issued Sept. 22 due to the drought, continued lack of precipitation, and the high probability of fuel ignition within the state.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.