Extreme drought conditions continue across Alabama, prompting state forestry officials to issue “no burn” orders for the second time this year. The newest order covers 59 counties, including St. Clair and Talladega.
State forester Linda Casey presented a formal Declaration of Emergency Drought Conditions to Gov. Bob Riley, who approved the action. The declaration went into effect at noon Thursday and will remain in place until lifted by the Forestry Commission.
Under the No Burn Order, it is illegal for people in the affected counties to set fire to any forest, grass, woods, wildlands or marshes. It also bans campfires and bonfires and forbids anyone from burning debris or other material that may cause a forest, grass or woods fire.
The “no burn” order is a result of the prolonged drought that most of the state has experienced this year. On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Mitigation Center reported that 74 percent of the state is in a D-4 level, which is the highest level on the drought scale.
Forestry officials report that so far in August, 227 fires have consumed more than 3,034 acres. For the year, the Alabama Forestry Commission and firefighters have battled 3,583 fires, for almost 64,800 acres lost, a 62 percent increase over the annual average of 40,000 acres.
The Forestry Commission reports that those fires also destroyed 40 homes and 176 other structures. Commission and volunteer firefighters were able to save 2,810 homes and 854 other structures from wildfires.
Thursday’s “no burn” order is the second such order for Alabama counties this year. Small amounts of rain received after July 4 lifted the initial “no burn,” but the majority of the state has remained under a fire alert status. Burning restrictions have been continually in place since May 18.
“Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen an increase in not only the number of wildfires that we have had, but several of them have been very large fires,” Casey said. “Some of these fires have directly threatened homes, and if not for the efforts of commission firefighters and volunteer fire departments we would have lost homes.”
Violating the “no burn” order is a Class C misdemeanor and is punishable by up to $500 in fines and up to six months in jail.
Recent temperatures that exceed the 100-degree mark have not helped the situation. The low humidity, dry and gusty winds and overall extreme weather have fueled these fires, giving them the ability to cause catastrophic damage.
According to the Associated Press, state health officer Don Williamson said there were 54 people treated in Alabama hospitals Wednesday and Thursday for heat-related injuries and that 20 were admitted. He said 27 of those treated were work-related injuries. Williamson said there have been no confirmed deaths because of the heat, although one death is listed as suspected as being heat related.
The National Weather Service office in Birmingham said high temperatures will remain for much of the state through the weekend, and the heat index will range from 103 to 108 next week, possibly requiring heat advisories.
This week’s high of 107 degrees has not challenged the state’s record high of 112 in Centreville in September 1925, but the length of the drought is unprecedented. The National Weather Service said it was 102 in Montgomery Thursday afternoon, the 11th straight day of triple digits in the capital, well beyond the previous record seven-day streaks in 1990, 1954 and 1881.
It was 106 in Muscle Shoals, breaking a record for the date set in 1954, and Huntsville’s 105 degrees tied its record, also set in 1954.
Christy said the string of consecutive days over 100 is amazing considering that in two recent years, 2001 and 2003, the temperature did not get over 100 anywhere in the state for the entire year.
He said the state has seen deficit rainfall numbers since the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and the prolonged drought has contributed to the record heat.
“The normal evaporation has not been able to occur because the ground has no moisture,” said Christy, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Sam Addy, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, said economic damage could be wide if the drought and heat continue.
“It’s affecting consumers in general. People are worrying about having to resod their lawns. The effects of this drought will continue into next year,” Addy said.
He said the heat, which has already hurt the agriculture and forestry sectors, could also affect tourism, pointing out that many outdoor activities, like golf, are not pleasant when the temperature is over 100.
Alabama farmers got some good news Thursday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture released $1.05 million in assistance to the state from the Emergency Conservation Program. The money will go to help farmers in 28 Alabama counties, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
