With rain again bringing relief for many of Alabama’s wildland firefighters, the Alabama Forestry Commission is easing fire restrictions across much of the state. Effective at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 22, all burn restrictionswill be lifted in 33 counties in the southern half of the state. In the northern half of the state, the No Burn order is being lifted in 23 counties which will drop back to a Fire Alert. In those counties, one-day burn permits will be issued to certified prescribed burn managers only.
Because the rainfall was not distributed equally across the state and some counties did not get adequate precipitation to alleviate the drought conditions, eleven counties remain under the No Burn order issued by Governor Ivey on November 9. These include Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, and Talladega.
Since October 1, AFC wildland firefighters, with the assistance of volunteer fire departments, have battled 760 wildfires consuming more than 7,807 acres across the state. With the No Burn order in place since November 9, a total of 86 wildfires have burned approximately 278 acres of land in Alabama.
The current burn restrictions will remain in effect until rescinded by the State Forester, at which time conditions will have changed sufficiently to reduce the occurrence and frequency of wildfires. To report persons burning in violation of this law, contact your local law enforcement. For more information on the current wildfire situation in the state, visit Alabama Forestry Commission’s website at www.forestry.alabama.gov.
