National Weather Service issues fire weather risk for areas in West Tennessee

JACKSON, Tenn. — The National Weather Service issued a fire weather risk for several cities in West Tennessee.

The recent warm weather has increased the risk for fires. The National Weather Service’s elevated fire danger alert comes as West Tennessee experiences a combination of low humidity and gusty winds.

“All of those things coming together puts you at a higher risk of that flame or ashes or embers traveling and them making that fire larger or extending to other structures,” said Melissa Nelson, community risk reduction specialist for Jackson Fire Department.

The alert cautions people to avoid any outdoor burning as it can lead to a wildfire risk.

“A brush fire is when you have foliage, whether it’s like leaves or dead bushes. Some people will burn like stumps and stuff like that. We are advising people not to any kind of outside burning of any kind right now while we’re in such dry conditions,” said Nelson.

It’s also important to properly extinguish and dispose of cigarettes. With these weather conditions, refrain from throwing them out of your car window.

“The opportunity for the fire to grow and expand and get out of control is really the bigger issue than having a controlled fire. And especially in these dry conditions, fires can spread with the wind,” said Nelson.

A small spark can easily get out of hand, JFD encourages you to ensure fires are completely extinguished before leaving it unattended.

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