By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

With temperatures rising and creating dry conditions, the Alabama Forestry Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are warning Alabama residents that chances of wildfires happening are high.

The AFC is reporting there have been 100 wildfires in the last seven days across Alabama, and the USDA Forest Service recently signed an order that prohibits the use of fire in any location of a national forest without a developed recreation/campsite.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Dallas County is experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions.

Selma Fire Chief Mike Stokes said there has been an increase in brush and grass fires in the area, but he’s not sure if any of those fires were caused by the dry conditions.

“The city had one yesterday and two Monday,” Stokes said. “The county volunteer units had two big ones … one up in the Camp Grist area and one near Alabama Highway 219. I cannot say for sure that those are a direct result of the drought, but I can say the drought certainly contributed to the length of time spent trying to control those fires.”

Stokes said people shouldn’t burn trash, grass or tree limbs within the city limits because it’s illegal, and even if you’re burning trash or brush where it is legal, you should still exercise caution and use common sense.

“I caution everybody to be very mindful that even though it may be legal for them to burn in their part of the county, they’re still responsible for anything that might happen due to them open burning,” Stokes said. “We’ve just got to practice some good safety and common sense.”

Cooler and wetter weather conditions may be on the way for Dallas County to help combat the drought, but only for a short time.

“Wednesday, we’ll kind of see a cool down with temperatures going down to 95 for Wednesday and Thursday,” said Jessica Talley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham. “Then Sunday, it’ll really start to cool down. We’ll see highs around 89 and Monday, we’ll see a high of 87. Looks like we’ll see a cold front move through the area Sunday afternoon to provide some cooler temperatures. As far as rain, we don’t really have any chances of rain through the weekend. Monday may see a 40 percent chance, but Tuesday will see chances go back to zero.”