Asheville – Last Tuesday, during the Buncombe County Commissioners’ regular meeting, the newly-appointed Assistant Director of Emergency Services Ryan Cole shared that the county was in a state of emergency. On November 6, the county issued a ban on open burning until further notice. The ban applies, but is not limited, to “fire pits, campfires, tiki torches, and chimineas.” Outdoor grilling is excepted. Two days later, the North Carolina Forest Service followed suit, enacting a state of emergency ban on burning for fourteen Western North Carolina counties.
Comparison to Past Wildfires and Potential Dangers
Cole said the risk of fire at the time was heightened due to prolonged drought conditions, low atmospheric humidity, and unstable winds. Fires were already burning in DuPont State Recreational Forest and Henderson, Jackson, and Cherokee counties. Firefighting resources had already been diverted to these sites. For example, crews from Wake, Gaston, and Currituck counties had already been deployed to fight the Henderson fire.
Throughout the presentation, Cole kept comparing current conditions to those extant during the Party Rock fire that started on November 5, 2016. That fire burned for three weeks, forcing evacuations and destroying 7,000 acres in the Chimney Rock and Lake Lure areas. The whole region experienced the fires through blackened skies and air quality warnings. Allegedly, this fire was started by a 17-year-old’s cigarette butt. The Gatlinburg fires, which destroyed 2,460 buildings and killed 14 people, started later that month.
Fire Prevention Measures and Importance of Citizen Involvement
In response to the current state of emergency, fire departments are working with the Forest Service to shore up vulnerable areas. They are also, according to plan, implementing “prompt, effective, and efficient” response strategies. Cole said that, because of regional wildfires, departments are now at a readiness level of 5, which is as alarming as the scale goes. So, three to five departments are responding to any given wildfire now.
As for when the ban will be lifted, Cole said he can be as incorrect as any weatherman, but the risk factors must first be abated. In particular, enough rain is required to moisten the forest floor. Currently, leaves are stacked high and dry in the forests. With leaf litter and debris 6–8 inches deep, fires will keep burning over dry soil.
Cole said it was imperative for each citizen to do their part in disaster prevention. He provided an illustration from Henderson County. He said if firefighters have to protect 30 homes but only have five trucks with a response time of 10 minutes, even if other trucks are on their way from other areas, they will have to choose which homes won’t burn to the ground.
The current best practice, therefore, is to encourage property owners to create a defensible space around their buildings. Cole acknowledged that “we live in a beautiful place.” People like to live in the woods, and they love mountain vistas. He focused on homes and said that, unfortunately, if people don’t clear debris from around their homes, they risk losing them. This applied to city dwellers as well, he said, pointing to a fire in Deaverview that weekend.
The defensible zone starts with maybe five feet of noncombustible landscaping surrounding a home. For the next 30 feet beyond the house, no clusters of trees should be planted. For all distances 100 feet from the house, leaves, branches, and other vegetative matter should be removed from the lawn, which should remain trimmed short. Flammable lawn furniture should be spaced as if it were trees; trees must not overhang utility wires or gutters; and gutters must remain free of debris.
As for next steps, Cole said leadership was making arrangements for sheltering people who have to be displaced. Multiple agencies were working together to stay up-to-date with the latest information and coordinate responses. He said, according to the morning report, a helicopter, two airplanes, and two bulldozers were in the region, ready to be deployed. He then added that since the DuPont fire had been controlled, those resources may be moving to a more at-risk region.
Cole said it was important for people to look out for themselves and each other by reporting dangerous situations via 911. To stay informed, he urged citizens to sign up for CodeRED. The automated alert system updates citizens on not only states of emergency but also announcements about vaccinations, public works interruptions, and when to vote. To join, one only needs to text BCAlert to 99411. Persons previously enrolled in Nixle BC Alerts must re-register. To spread the word about CodeRED, ads are being posted on billboards, traditional and social media outlets, and county buildings, and flyers are being distributed at campgrounds.