Fire danger high for about half of Maine amid dry, windy conditions

Fire danger is high for about half the state of Maine due to unusually dry and windy conditions.
With no significant precipitation expected in the coming days, the danger is expected to stay high throughout the weekend except in northernmost Maine where the threat is low.
Kent Nelson, a Forest Ranger Specialist with the Maine Forest Service, recommends that people limit all outdoor burning, even if the state is yet to fall under a total burn ban.
“We really recommend that if people have brush piles to burn something like that, that they try to wait until we get a significant amount of rain that’s more than a half inch or so is what we need to get things calmed down out there,” Nelson said.
This fall has seen an unusual spike in fires for this time of year.
“Fortunately, a lot of these fires are relatively small, and we have the local fire departments to thank for that, for their quick response, as well as the forest rangers, but we’re still very dry out there,” Nelson said.