Published: September 30, 2008 10:29 pm         

Fall fire season starts today in W.Va.

Burn, baby, burn?

Unfortunately, the tendency of some West Virginians to torch the woodlands still exists, and arson, combined with debris burning that gets out of hand, accounts for as much as 70 percent of wildfires.

As the fall fire season opened today, homeowners are reminded that no debris burning is allowed between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., and with good reasons.

“The temperatures are up in the middle of the day,” says Ben Webster, fire staff assistant for the state Division of Forestry.

“You’ve got direct sunlight. The relative humidity is usually down when temperatures are higher. If winds are blowing, they’re usually blowing harder during those daylight hours.”

Once the sun begins to set, mist and dew are in the air, Webster pointed out.

“That puts a little bit of moisture in the air and the temperatures are going down,” he said.

Dry weather has held sway in recent weeks across the entire map, and Webster said his agency is concerned about the arid conditions.

“It’s really dry right now,” he said. “Even burning after 4 p.m. right now could get interesting. It’s dry enough that the dew and stuff that comes in the air right now is not enough to help anybody.”

Webster advises homeowners determined to burn off piles of debris to avoid setting fires on hillsides, since fire will jump at the chance to run uphill, feeding on leaf litter.

“One of the biggest things is keeping it away from your house,” he said.

“If they have to burn, get a nice open area. Even the grass will burn, it’s so dry now. If you’re going to burn something, have it in an open area down to the bare mineral soil because it won’t burn.”

If possible, keep a garden hose at the ready.

Conditions are so dry that a pre-burn dampening of the ground with the hose would take much water, he said.

“If you’ve got a water source and keep the ground damp repeatedly while burning, it will help,” he said.

“That will prevent anything from spreading across the ground. You’ve got to watch it. Like embers coming off a burn pile. They usually float around a lot. They’re usually not cool when they land. So that’s a hot spark.”

Carelessness usually is a factor when debris fires rage out of control, he said, noting some landowners will walk off a few minutes, assuming there are no problems, and before they realize it, the fire has raced up the hill.

For that reason, a good rule of thumb is to maintain an unbroken vigil until the fire is out, he said.

Arson and debris burning are close together historically the leading causes of wildfires that reach forests.

Deliberately set fires reflect “the old southern coalfields” mindset of resentment against large out-of-state landowners, the forestry official said.

“I use the old Hatfield-McCoy mentality of people and the largest land companies come in there, and with some people, it’s their way to get back at them,” Webster said.

“It’s sad, but it’s true. For a lot of people, it’s just a psychological thing. They just like to see it. There are causes that go way beyond what anyone can really understand. It’s like some setting fire to houses. It’s the same thing.”

Within the past three weeks, about 25 fires have been reported in the District 5 area from Milton down to Logan and Mingo counties.

“Old decayed leaves are burning in the ground,” he said. “They’re hard to fight.”

As of Wednesday, 11 fires had broken out in the Beckley region since July 1, reaching down to Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming counties.

“That’s not bad,” Webster said. “The Mingo, Logan, Boone area is where we’re having the most problems, into Kanawha. That’s where the bulk of the problems are being seen.”

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com