Crews are battling a brush fire in the Ross Township area Wednesday afternoon.
Ross West View EMSA says they’re assisting crews at a brush fire off Sutter Road which goes into Shaler Township.
The National Weather Service warned conditions were ideal for an elevated risk of wildfires around the area Wednesday.
Several fire chiefs in the region have asked residents to refrain from burning.
Those communities include: Amwell, Bentleyville, Canonsburg, Canton, Carroll (Valley Inn), Cecil, Chartiers, Fallowfield, North Franklin, McDonald, Mount Pleasant, North Strabane, South Strabane, and the City of Washington
That’s due to a combination of dry and windy conditions.
Residents are urged to be cautious handling machinery, cigarettes or matches.
When dry grass and leaves begin to burn, fire can spread rapidly.
Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook talked about the wildfire warnings on the Big K Morning Show.
“Pennsylvania’s falling in line with what we’re seeing across the rest of the nation where, with lack of rainfall, the underbrush is dry and ready to function as tinderbox.
Cook says wildfires in the Pittsburgh area are more common than people may think.