Fire officials want residents to be safe for spring fire season
BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) –It’s been four months since one of the largest wildfires recorded in Virginia. The Matts Creek wildfire burned for weeks in southwest Virginia affecting thousands of acres of land in Bedford County. Crews quickly started restoration efforts, even hand-spreading seed on some of the burned areas to bring it back to life.
While the cause of the fire is still unknown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the restoration efforts were minimal, and things are already greening up for spring.
However, as spring arrives it brings with it the bloom of flowers and the return of green leafy trees, But it also brings the chance for more wildfires. Spring fire season, Feb. 15 to April 30, has begun — Virginia banning open burning until 4 p.m. statewide.
“We have these warmer temperatures, we have a lot of dormant vegetation some of which has been killed by frost, and we also have a lot of dead leaves on the ground from last fall,” said Cory Swift, the Communications Specialist with the Virginia Department of Forestry.
Swift says the area burned in the Matt Creeks fire probably won’t see more fires this season because the elements that fueled the flames last year were mostly burned away. However, he says people should still be cautious this spring.
RELATED STORY: DOF reports major rise during 2023 ‘Fall Fire Season’ compared to last year
“Virginia has on average 700 wildfires every year and we tend to see 60 percent of that in the spring,” Swift said. “We’ve actually responded to 82 wildfires already this year that have burned about 16 hundred acres.”
He said Southwest Virginia has more fires on average than any other area in Virginia, but he is not the only one pressing safety. Local fire officials chimed in as well.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of rain here in the last month or so. So we’re not overly concerned with spring fire season, but it would only take a few good days of wind and dry conditions and the top cover can get really dry and we’ll get a lot of fires running,” said Fire Chief Todd Stone with the Bedford Fire Department.
Chief Stone says his department often sees people underestimate winds this time of year.
“Anytime you want to burn brush or anything, you want to stay 100 feet away from the woods. You want to make sure that you have a water source and stay with that fire,” explained Chief Stone.
He says you should always have your phone on hand for emergencies. He wanted to remind people that open burning is only for brush, leaves, and yard debris. Things like trash and construction debris should be discarded.
He also wanted to remind residents that the Town of Bedford requires people to ask for permission before burning and that Bedford County asks anyone burning anything large to give their local law enforcement a heads-up via a non-emergency line.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.
