HARRISBURG (KYW Newsradio) — A Pennsylvania official who manages the state’s forests and state parks is sounding a warning about the increased threat of wildfires at this time of year.
Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said we’re in the peak of the wildfire season.
“You just get some dry conditions, a few dry days, some wind, and then some low humidity in the atmosphere, and the next thing you know, you’ve got high forest fire danger,” she explained
Dunn said human activity plays the biggest role in igniting fires.
"99.5% of wildfires are human caused," she said. "While, once in a while, perhaps, lightning may cause a fire, it’s really a human-caused phenomenon."
Dunn said people burning leaves, yard waste and trash on their property — fires that can quickly get out of control — are largely responsible for the wildfires which spread into nearby wooded areas.
She said it doesn’t take much to touch off a wildfire that can cause a lot of damage.
"It burns a lot of acreage of forest," Dunn explained. "It can lead to structure fires. Last year, for instance we lost 17 structures. Sadly, it can lead to fatalities. Last year, there were two wildfire fatalities."
The state has information online about wildfires, including maps containing fire forecasts and other resources.
Simple campfires that aren’t properly tended or extinguished are another source of wildfires, Dunn said.
"Look on our web page and find out what they conditions are. See if they’re allowed,” she said. “If they’re allowed and you do have one, keep it contained. Clear leaves and brush away from the campfire area. Get down to bare ground in the surrounding area, have stones around it."
And, Dunn said, smokers roaming the outdoors need to do their part, because a lit cigarette in a dry area can quickly ignite a blaze.
"Of course for the smokers, snuff the butt and take it with you," she advised.