Fire departments across central North Carolina are seeing consistent reports of brush fires popping up during windy and dry conditions. There is an increased fire risk for most of the state on Friday.
The WRAL Weather team has a new tool to show viewers where we could have potential wildfires.
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Satellites can detect thermal or temperature changes to show where there could be hot spots or potential fires. On the map below, you will see several red dots. Every red dot doesn't necessarily mean there is a fire in that location.
If you add the smoke feature to the map, we can use that information to see if there is truly a fire or not. It looks like we had at least a couple of fires in our western/southwestern communities on Thursday morning. Anyone can view this data on their own with the free WRAL Weather App.
We have an increased fire risk for most of our state on Friday due to the worsening drought and low humidity. Outdoor burning is highly discouraged.
Fires across the area
This risk comes after multiple brush fires were blazing on Saturday along Interstate 540 in Wake County. The flames were so intense, crews flew a plane overhead for aerial support.
"That's very rare," said Philip Jackson with the North Carolina Forest Service. "That happens a lot in the mountains.
"It happens a lot in eastern North Carolina, rural areas, but when you're calling a scout plane for a wildfire in Raleigh off of 540, you know it's dry. That's something we don't see often."
While those incidents are being investigated as arson, the dry and windy weather the area had during that time could have contributed to the spread of the flames.
"At this point, any ignition source could be the next wildfire," Jackson said. "Whether it's an escaped campfire or debris burn, this is not good weather to be burning in right now."
Around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Cary, Morrisville and Apex fire departments responded to reports of a fire in the woods along N.C. Highway 540 in Cary near Green Level West Road.
When fire crews arrived at the scene, they found three small fires burning in the woods. They believed windy conditions fueled that fire, which sparked the other two. Firefighters quickly extinguished all three fires in the area. There was no information they could provide regarding the cause of this fire.
The Zebulon Fire Department also warned the public on Facebook about the increased fire danger on Thursday. Zebulon fire crews reportedly responded to multiple outdoor fires on Wednesday evening. The department added that "these days are simply not good days to burn."
The Youngsville Fire Department also battled a structure fire Wednesday that was connected to a quarter acre of woods that were also on fire in the Fox Ridge subdivision off U.S. Highway 401 South. By 2:12 p.m. Wednesday, the fire was under control and the water haul continued for the next hour while crews continued to put out hot spots.
Drought conditions contribute to fire risk
All fire departments urge the public to avoid burning outdoors until further notice. The combination of gusty winds (we're expected to feel winds up to 30 mph), dry conditions and low humidity, on top of severe drought conditions, can stir rapid fire growth.
Because of the drought conditions, central North Carolina is in desperate need of some rain.
"The conditions that we've had — the prolonged dryness — some areas haven't seen rain for weeks. It is the perfect recipe for a wildfire to spread quickly," Jackson said.
So far in October, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport has measured only 0.62 inches of rain. It puts the area at a deficit of almost 2 inches.
Because it has been so dry, the drought has worsened across North Carolina. Fifteen percent of our state is now in a severe drought, which is up from 4% last week.
Luckily, it looks like some rain is headed our way. The WRAL Severe Weather Center is tracking a low-pressure system that likely brings some rain early next week.
