The Boone Fire Department conducted controlled burns around the Greenway Trail Monday to remove debris to decrease risk of wildfires in the Boone area.
Boone Fire Department Chief Jimmy Isaacs said the fire department began the controlled burn around 6 p.m. in order to burn the debris left over from Hurricane Helene flooding.
“What we try to do is come here and consume some of this debris while we had a window,” Isaacs said. “We tried to watch the humidity and the wind for the past several days.”
The fire department uses drip fuel — a mix of diesel and gasoline — to create controlled burns. Isaacs said the fire department decided to begin the controlled burn after seeing the weather for the upcoming week would not be fit for controlled burns.
“And now that the wind has become more conducive and died down, humidity levels are starting to come back up, and with rain on the horizon for tomorrow, it was a good opportunity to try to clean this up,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs said there have not been any wildfires in Boone. He said the southwestern corner of North Carolina has had wildfires due to drier conditions.
The fire department works to stay prepared for the possibility of wildfires by tracking weather conditions and leftover damage and destruction from natural disasters, Isaacs said.
Isaacs said controlled burns are called into dispatch ahead of time and did not choose to publicise the information due to the burn site being “less than an acre.” Prior to beginning a controlled burn, Boone Fire Department is given a series of dates to choose from and watch the weather conditions for those dates.
Boone was placed under a “wildfire watch” by the National Weather Service on Saturday, warning people in the area of dry conditions. The warning cited “increased fire danger” from 11 a.m. through Monday evening.
According to the Asheville Citizen Times, debris from Hurricane Helene has accelerated the fires in Western North Carolina. Other parts of the state and surrounding areas are also experiencing wildfires.
Fire department officials in both North Carolina and South Carolina have deployed firefighters to multiple areas in attempts to contain the fires. According to officials, the cause for the wildfires is still unknown.
