Fire danger rises in Charlotte area as dry conditions persist. Don’t burn those leaves.
Extremely dry conditions have increased the risk of fire in the Charlotte area and much of the rest of the state, the National Weather Service warned Monday.
The alert served as a reminder not to burn those last-of-the-fall leaves on the ground. The practice is prohibited under the N.C. fire prevention code and Mecklenburg County air pollution control ordinance.
“The low humidity and dry fuels will increase the fire danger,” the NWS office in Greer, S.C., posted on Twitter. “Fires may spread quickly and uncontrollably. Outdoor burning is discouraged.”
Late Monday afternoon, the North Carolina Forest Service issued a ban on all open burning until further notice. The agency also canceled all burning permits statewide.
Open burning includes burning leaves, branches or other plant material, the state agency said.
“Our top priority is always to protect lives, property and forestland across the state,” state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a statement.
The NWS alert, in effect through Monday night, also covered Upstate South Carolina and the N.C. mountains, Piedmont and Piedmont-Triad.
NWS forecasters expected relative humidity values to plummet 20% to 25% across much of Western North Carolina on Monday afternoon.
Mecklenburg and surrounding counties are in moderate drought, the second lowest of five drought-intensity stages on the U.S. Drought Monitor map.
And no rain is near for Charlotte. Skies should remain sunny to mostly sunny through at least Sunday, according to the NWS forecast at 4:45 p.m. Monday.
Temperatures are expected to climb from a high of 49 degrees Monday afternoon to highs of 60 on Tuesday, 63 Wednesday, 70 Thursday and 72 Friday, according to the NWS. Highs are then expected to fall to 69 Saturday and 55 Sunday, forecasters said.
Fire due to dry weather has threatened the Charlotte area all month.
On Nov. 19, 20 Charlotte firefighters controlled a large brush fire within 20 minutes in the Keeter Drive-Little Rock Road area, the department said on Twitter.
About 100 miles to the north of Charlotte, crews continued to battle a blaze on Monday in Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry and Yadkin counties, McClatchy News reported.
Video showed the fire engulfing the mountain.
By 11 a.m. Monday, the fire had spread across 500 acres and reached the famed knob of the mountain, WFMY reported. The fire is believed to have been human-caused, according to the station.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Fire danger rises in Charlotte area as dry conditions persist. Don’t burn those leaves.."