(LEX 18) — With picturesque fall foliage, comes a recipe for a fire.
Oct. 1 to Dec. 15 is fall fire season in Kentucky, according to Daniel Boone National Forest spokesperson Tim Eling.
In the last 22 days, there has been less than a tenth of an inch of rain in the Red River Gorge area, where visitors flock to hike and camp.
"The longer you go without rain, the more the leaves are going to dry out, the soil on the ground is going to dry out, the wood is going to dry out," said Eling.
Eling said another issue is all the downed trees from Hurricane Helene. They dry out and are kindling for a fire, plus they are obstacles for firefighters.
Camper William Bonis said to avoid a spark, which can turn into a blaze, he douses his campfire with water to make sure it's out.
"I'll even go back with my shovel and cover it with soil and really make sure it's out, and if you want to triple check just put your hand over it and if you don't feel any warmth at all that's a good signal it's totally out," said Bonis.
He said he frequently camps at the Red River Gorge and that common practices like properly putting out a fire help protect a place we all love.
"We have had very little rain in the last two months," said Bonis. "It is like a tinder box anywhere around here, so you just want to take every precaution you can because you wouldn't want to have a forest fire in a beautiful place like this."
There's a law from Oct. 1 to Dec. 15 that bans open burning between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
