Fire danger high
Fire danger is high in North Carolina, with low humidity and lack of rain over the past few weeks resulting in a spate of wildfires across the region recently.
Fires have included about 80 acres near Hot Springs, more than 200 acres southwest of Franklin, three wildfires near Cherokee totaling more than 300 acres and a half-acre in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
April typically marks the height of wildfire season in North Carolina. This year, with limited rainfall throughout March and April, forests are especially receptive to spreading fires. Concern is highest in Western North Carolina where trees have not fully leafed out.
Because 99 percent of North Carolina wildfires are human-caused, land managers are asking people to be careful with outdoor burning, refraining from lighting such fires when the weather is dry with low humidity.
