WILLISTON, Vt. (WCAX) – You might have smelled smoke in our region on Monday as wildfires burn across multiple states on the East Coast.
Some 93% of Vermont is in a drought, and with persistent windy conditions, the fire risk is high. Now, there’s a multistate effort underway to prevent disaster.
“I smelled a little bit. I remember I was walking to the field yesterday for field hockey, and there is definitely something in the air,” said Ceara Murphy, a St. Michael’s College student from Washington.
Murphy says one of the reasons she moved to Vermont was for the clean air. But the smell of smoke from wildfires across state lines has her worried.
“I mean I actually always thought Vermont was one of the most environmentally friendly places. So, coming up and seeing all this is extremely concerning. I definitely think we need to take action, like, ASAP,” Murphy said.
She’s not the only one encouraging people to take action. As dry, windy conditions persist, officials with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources say you should avoid burning debris, extending burn bans throughout southern Vermont to Bennington, Rutland, Windham and Windsor counties.
“There has been no real significant rainfall over the past like, three months. This impacts fuel, moisture, not just the small-sized things like leaves, but also the larger branches, materials on the forest floor. The ground is also quite dry. That can lead to what we call ground fires,” said Kathy Decker, the state’s forest fire supervisor with the Vt. Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Decker says Vermont has seen at least four wildfires across the state in the last several weeks, including Ludlow, Hinesburg and, most recently, in Brattleboro.
Officials are working with other states to battle the blaze.
“Last week, when we had assistance from New Hampshire, they were able to send resources to help us. That’s a lot of what is going on right now in Connecticut and New York. We are sharing resources because of those compact agreements. So it has happened in the past, but it does seem like it’s getting more common,” said Dan Dillner of the Vt. Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.
Officials warn people to stay vigilant.