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Saturday was a busy day for local fire departments. The Troup County Fire Department responded to 11 brush fires just in the 24-hour period, according to Chief Michael Strickland. 

“Just in the last couple of weeks, we have really seen an increase in our responses to groundcover fires due to the lack of rain and the winds and the low humidities,” Strickland said. 

At 7:42 p.m. on Saturday, Troup, LaGrange and West Point Fire Departments as well as Troup County and Georgia Forestry emergency responders, were called to West Point Lake near the Dam in response to a private property controlled burn. The burn spread across the firebreak and onto the public land managed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. There were no injuries or property damage to the private or public land. 

Strickland added that the department received calls from all over the county, necessitating a multi-agency response over the weekend. 

“That stretches our resources very thin when we’re having to respond to that many groundcover fires, and they were anywhere from the West Point area into the Hogansville area…Georgia Forestry was a great resource. They sent crews to come help out in several locations. LaGrange Fire Department helped us out. West Point Fire Department helped us out. So it was great to have those resources,” he said. 

Despite the call volume, there was no reported damage to structures, injuries or property loss during those 11 fires, according to Strickland. The damage was contained to forested areas. 

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Troup County on Saturday, meaning conditions were such that it was unsafe to burn outdoors. The Georgia Forestry Committee put out a statement on social media saying, “We will not be issuing any burn permits until conditions improve. Due to the low relative humidity, dry and windy conditions, it is not safe to burn outdoors. GFC is battling numerous wildfires across the state … please don’t add to these numbers.”

The Chief asks residents to be mindful of current conditions when burning or having outdoor fires. The Georgia Forestry Commission website is updated to reflect local conditions, as well as best practices for burning. Certain types of burnings require permits issued by the Commission. 

“If it’s a very windy day and we haven’t had rain for a while and humidity levels are low. 

Those are the days that are really going to contribute to the problems,” Stickland explained. 

He adds that the fire department can also provide guidance on controlled burns for residents.

Georgia’s annual burn ban goes into effect on May 1 and runs through Sept. 30. For more information on controlled burns and a state fire danger map visit gatrees.org.