Wildfires Along the Gulf Coast

5/8/2020 (Permalink)

Mobile and Baldwin County are currently under a fire advisory, as fires spread under dry conditions along the Gulf Coast.

Everything around us is dry, and the conditions are ripe for a wildfire at almost any time. On Wednesday, a backyard fire near Magnolia Springs, is only one example of many that have kept local firefighters busy. "When you consider a wind combined with low relative humidity and heat during the day, that’s really the perfect recipe for a fire to get out of control," said Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby.

Foley's fire chief says the current red flag fire warning by the National Weather Service is a real threat. Currently 12 counties in Alabama are also part of a state environmental burn ban that's already in place to control air quality.

"A lot of our public doesn’t really understand that, but it prevents them from having open debris fires on their property. Now there are some exemptions when you consider agricultural practices," said Darby.

Since April 1st, Foley has had 20 "open burn" fire calls, and nearly every city across Baldwin County has been busy, too. 

"When it’s a beautiful day that’s when people feel the need to burn things. They think it’s a great day to be out doing yard work and typically they try to burn," said Darby.

The State Forestry Commission also has a warning, from the backyard fire to the agricultural fire.

Now may not be the right time to light that match.

"If it gets away, you are responsible for it. You are responsible for your neighbor’s property if you burn it up and for the suppression costs of it, whether it’s the fire department or whoever," said Benjamin Elmore with the Alabama Forestry Commission.

The current air quality environmental burn ban imposed by ADEM started May 1st and will be in place for the next six months.

Source: Gulf Coast Wildfires

Fire damage can be devastating over a widespread area, so you’ll need the company you can trust to rise to the occasion. Wildfires are likely to cause fire and smoke destruction, as well as secondary water and soot damage. SERVPRO of Baldwin County is already in place and ready to respond. We have a highly trained Disaster Recovery Team, and are ready 24/7. No disaster is too large. Regardless of the extent of the damage, SERVPRO of Baldwin County Professionals can handle any size disaster. During catastrophic events like the wildfires, our Disaster Recovery Team will respond quickly with additional resources.

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