The warm spring winds blowing through Western North Carolina’s forests are welcomed by the winter weary, but they put firefighters on edge, according to the Asheville Citizen -Times
With the trees still yet to “leaf out,” sunshine readily reaches the ground, drying out fuels that can feed destructive wildfires.
Federal and state forestry officials are urging the public to exercise caution with the arrival of the spring fire season.
Nine out of 10 wildfires in North Carolina are started by people, often when the burning of yard debris gets out of hand, said Steve Little, assistant fire management officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Asheville.
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