CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) Middle Tennessee is under an elevated fire danger Friday due to a combination of gusty winds, low humidity and ongoing drought conditions.
“We have a front that’s approaching from the west and that’s going to bring gusty winds as high as 30 miles per hour today,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Sam Herron.
The winds, combined with low humidity and the drought conditions that have led to fires across Tennessee and several other southern states, will increase the fire danger through the day.
As of Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) reports 17 new fires in the previous 24 hours in Tennessee impacting 200 acres.
51 counties are included in a burn ban issued by Gov. Bill Haslam that applies to open-air burning and includes a prohibition of campfires and burning of brush, vegetation, and construction debris.
The burn ban does not apply to cooking grills and other similar lighted devices that are well established in a confined, protected area away from woodlands.
Improper disposal of hot grill ashes can be a fire hazard. In all cases, grill ashes should be allowed to completely cool or be saturated with water before disposal.
Montgomery County is not included in the state ban, but Clarksville remains under a burn ban issued in October.