Wednesday, March 23, 2011

State officials: don’t burn outdoors today or tomorrow in North Carolina

People should not burn outdoors today and tomorrow because high winds and dry air have increased the risk of wildfires in North Carolina, according to the National Weather Service and the N.C. Division of Forest Resources.

The agencies have issued red flag warnings or fire danger statements for most of the state for Wednesday.

The more severe of the two statements, a red flag warning, means that critical fire weather conditions are occurring or will occur shortly. Strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures will create high fire growth potential. Parts of North Carolina will have sustained winds between 15 mph and 35 mph, with possible gusts more than 50 mph.

Instead of burning outdoors, people should compost their brush piles or leave them until the state receives a soaking rainfall, state officials said Wednesday.

For wildfire information, please view the N.C. Division of Forest Resources’ website.

For more information, contact Brian Haines, public information officer with the N.C. Division of Forest Resources, at (919) 857-4828.

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