The fall forest fire season is here, and Kentucky forestry officials say this year could be worse than normal. The damage from the March 2nd tornadoes is still evident, downed trees and debris still littering hillsides.
“It’s a real jungle,” said Forester Tad Norris.
Forestry officials say that mess could cause problems as the fire season begins. “If you’ve seen it, it’s total devastation. Lots of trees on the ground, lots of tops on the ground. That is certainly added fuel that can burn in a fire,” said Norris.
Officials say the damage not only adds possible fuel for fires but also complicates things for emergency officials fighting those fires. “It’s hard to get through that material. It’s hard to cut a fire line or even run a bulldozer through that,” said Norris.
They say with cooler air comes more burning. “There’s a lot more outdoor burning that takes place in the fall, a lot of people raking their leaves up and burning those,” said Forester Adam McGuire.
From WYMT News: https://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Tornado-damage-could-fuel-forest-fires-172364051.html