With dry and windy conditions lately, the U.S. Forest Service is warning of wildfires in the Tongass National Forest.
The USFS issued a warning to campers, hunters and forest residents Thursday. It details two local wildfire events in recent months.
“We’re not under any closures,” said Forest Fire Management Officer Tristan Fluharty in a prepared statement, “But there are areas on the forest that are drier than normal and people need to use caution during windy conditions, especially where fire is concerned.”
Wildfires aren’t common in a temperate rainforest like the Tongass but windy and dry conditions have already led to two small wildfires in the Juneau area this year. On April 3, a campfire at Berners Bay spread to nearby vegetation, the USFS wrote in a release, and spread quickly to organic material on the forest floor. In February, a Douglas landowner spread a wildfire on about a half acre of private land after attempting to burn trash on a windy day.
The USFS is warning forest users not to leave fires unattended and to ensure fires are put out thoroughly before leaving a burn site.
For more information on safe campfires in Alaska, visit https://fire.ak.blm.gov/content/admin/awfcg/D.%20Brochures%20and%20Educational%20Materials/Safe%20Campfires%202008.pdf
