TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — Around each fall and winter season, a lot of counties in Mississippi experience the same problem: fires caused by dry, windy conditions.
In the past couple of weeks, local firefighters have been getting calls about fires starting from burn piles.
And they say during this time of year, the calls start coming in.
"In the fall of each year, it's usually the first time for grass fires and wood fires because all the grass is dead," said Tupelo Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Morgan. "This is caused by the cool weather. People are trying to rake leaves and burn leaves and trash. And you got the dryness because it's so dry this fall. Plus, days like today that are very windy make it very possible."
Fire officials advise people to not burn on windy days because fires in the wind are much harder to control.
"If you are going to burn and the wind is not blowing, have a water hose or something to put the fire out. And keep small types of fires instead of one giant fire. Put some smaller fires and let those burn out," said Morgan.
Officials also say that on windy and dry days, the likelihood of a structure catching fire from a burn pile is much higher.
