State-wide, Campus-wide Burn Ban in Full Effect
Kale Mize | December 9, 2021
Quinn Bonney
Previous fire held at one of the Fireside Chats by the Work Program Office.
Just two and a half hours from Warren Wilson College (WWC), a wildfire broke out on Pilot Mountain, NC. The fire began blazing on November 27 and then engulfed almost the entire mountain. The fire was said to be caused by a campfire that was placed out of a designated area.
Pilot Mountain is now 100% contained. Smoke will remain visible from the mountain periodically, reported the North Carolina Forest Service.
East of Pilot Mountain, a second wildfire broke out on Sauratown Mountain on November 29. The Sauratown Mountain fire, also caused by a campfire, is 100% contained.
“Operations on both fires include patrolling, reinforcing containment lines, mopping up inside containment lines and falling snags, which are dead or weakened trees that pose a hazard to firefighters and hamper suppression efforts,” said the NC Forest Service Red Incident Management Team. “Snags can fall without warning and are a constant safety concern for firefighters."
Fires like these are very uncommon in western North Carolina and the south in general; it is the driest it has been in the last 90 years. Any open burning could lead to the next forest fire.
The last forest fire in the WWC area was in 2016, when two juveniles were suspected for aggravated arson that led to 11,000 acres of the national park to be burned, causing winds of up to 87 mph. Fourteen people were killed in the fire and caused millions of dollars in damages.
The state of North Carolina issued a state-wide burn ban, November 29 at 5 p.m.
“With these ongoing conditions, a statewide burn ban is necessary to reduce the risk of fires starting and spreading quickly. Our top priority is always to protect lives, property and forestland across the state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
What is a burn ban exactly?
According to the North Carolina Forest Service, a ban on open burning includes burning leaves, branches or any biodegradable material. It also includes campfires, outdoor fireplaces, burn barrels, fire pits and anything burning more than 100 feet from an occupied building.
WWC’s Public Safety sent out an email on November 30 issuing a campus wide burn ban.
“These dry conditions, in conjunction with low humidity, are what unfortunately increases the possibility of wildfires,” wrote Public Safety. “… Local officials are encouraging community members to not burn unless there is significant rainfall … Open burning during these conditions creates a high risk of causing fast-moving wildfires.”
Corinna Steinrueck, WWC Forestry crew leader, shared further reasons for the need for a burn ban on Warren Wilson campus.
“Ecologically, fire is a very important part of certain forest types. However, due to the lack of fire in the last several years our forests on campus have an excess amount of fuel buildup in them,” said Steinrueck. “Fire escaping into our forests right now, without any fire prep, would most likely lead to a catastrophic canopy fire that would take down most of the trees.”
Public Safety has asked the student body to report any open flames to 828-230-4592.
