Virginia Wildfires To Date Total More Than All of 2005

During the first 87 days of 2006, Virginia has experienced more fires and had more acres burned than for all of 2005, according to officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF).

As of this morning, 788 fires have burned 5,278 acres during the first 87 days of this year. For the entire year of 2005, a total of 773 fires burned 4,859 acres.

"Weather conditions so far this year have really wreaked havoc in Virginia as far as wildfires are concerned," said John Miller, VDOF director of resource protection. "The combination of little or no rain, extremely low humidity, strong winds and warm temperatures have made conditions ripe for a bad fire season."

Even with Virginia's 64-year-old 4 p.m. Burn Law in place between Feb. 15 and April 30, people are still burning debris in dry, windy conditions that can cause a small fire to spread rapidly. The 4 p.m. Law prohibits open air fires within 300 feet of woodland, brushland or field containing dry grass or other flammable material before 4 p.m. or after midnight.

Any violation of the 4 p.m. Burn Law is a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. In addition, anyone who allows a fire to escape, whether intentionally or accidentally, is responsible for the costs associated with putting out the fire.

"Suppression costs range from several hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars," said Miller. "We're asking anyone who wants to burn to check the weather conditions even if it's after 4 p.m. Just because you can burn, doesn't mean you should burn."

For comparison, during the first 87 days of 2005 there were 184 wildland fires that burned 417 acres. Homes/Structures damaged totaled eight and Homes/Structures protected totaled 66 last year. During the first 87 days of 2006, Virginia has had 788 fires that have burned a total of 5,278 acres. Homes/Structures damaged have reached 38 already this year, while Homes/Structures protected total 539 this year. The percentage increases for this year versus last year are: 328 percent increase in the number of fires; 1,166 percent increase in the number of acres burned; 375 percent increase in the number of Homes/Structures damaged, and a 717 percent increase in the number of Homes/Structures protected.

The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 248,000 Virginians employed in the forest products industry, Virginia forests provide more than $30 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.