Dry springtime conditions heighten brush fire threat up and down the East Coast
A forest fire which started in Southern New Jersey on Saturday, March 30, spread further north by Sunday, according to reports. In the video, which was posted on Twitter, you can see what this resident saw from the backyard as a large cloud of smoke hovered over Toms River, New Jersey. Rain helped control the fire on Saturday. The Ocean County Sheriff said on Sunday that the fire, which had spread to 10,000 acres, was 75 per cent contained.
The right conditions are coming together for brush fires to ignite and spread in the eastern United States, as proved by two destructive fires that spread through portions of New Jersey and Florida this past weekend.
While large wildfires occur on a seasonal cycle in the western U.S., they are not uncommon across the Plains, Appalachians or East Coast, either.
Very little, if any, of these regions experience a wet and dry season similar to those of the West Coast, so an occasion when all the correct factors come together is more rare.
Dry foliage and low relative humidity are necessary for a fire to ignite, but the blaze generally does not threaten lives or make headlines unless it spreads. For this, lots of sunshine and gusty winds are necessary.
Springtime on the East Coast is the perfect time for these factors to come together, when the sun is becoming increasingly strong and there is no forest canopy to block it. Meanwhile, the rainy season has yet to begin in the Southeast and gusty, wintry storms continue to sweep through the Northeast.
A fire sparked in Bay County, Florida, on Saturday morning. The 50-percent containment gained by firefighters that day was lost when gusty winds kicked up later in the day, prompting evacuations as the fire continued to spread rapidly. During the afternoon, the relative humidity was lower than normal at just 36 percent.
Containment reached 50 percent again on Sunday, though by this time the fire was over 44 times larger than it was early on Saturday.
Farther north, a recent lack of soaking rain, increasingly strong sunshine and gusty winds helped a small fire in the Penn State Forest in southern New Jersey to overtake nearly 12,000 acres in just a few days.
Authorities believe this fire was a result of human activity.
Wet weather moving into the Northeast on Friday will help to alleviate the recent high fire danger over the region.
Portions of the southern Atlantic coast are experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions.
The majority of wildfires are started by humans, intentionally or unintentionally, so it will be important for extra fire safety precautions to be taken this week.
Avoid parking cars in areas of high grass, where a spark from the engine can ignite the brush. All bonfires, campfires, backyard grills and other recreational fires will need to be closely monitored at all times and completely extinguished before they are left alone. Outdoor electrical systems should be double checked for damage, and the areas around them cleared of foliage.
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