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Page 6 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
Due to the drought, danger for forest
fires is unusually high this time of year.
Normally, danger of forest fire is not very high this time of year. But this has not been a normal year. The unusually dry conditions we have been experiencing have greatly heightened the danger for wildfires. Just ask the people in Botetort County, where a wild fire recently wiped out a large section of forested area. In fact, you can supposedly see it from 1-81 driving toward Roanoke. The point is that we need to be careful. And also remember that the longer we go without rain, the greater the risk grows. When leaves start to fall off of t rees, that will be even more fuel for a fire to get out of control. There are simple things we can do to prevent a situation similar to the one mentioned above. First, don’t throw anything hot into the dumpsters. How . many times have the dumpsters caught on fire because someone has gotten careless? Something else that people can refrain from doing is throwing cigarette butts out of their car. Some of you may not realize that a smoldering cigarette butt that ends up in the grass, especially as dry as it is, can start a fire. One other thing you may want to refrain from doing is burning any brush fires. Even though there no ban on open burning* a wildfire could start if a gust of wind picks up a spark. As dry as things are, we should all show some responsibility and be a little more careful. Otherwise, things around us could start to go up in smoke.
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