The final holdout in south central Arkansas has joined the growing list of counties under burn bans as extreme heat and increasingly dry conditions continue to raise wildfire concerns across the region.
Calhoun County announced a burn ban Monday, August 17. With that action, Bradley County and every county surrounding it are now under burn bans as of Tuesday morning, August 18.
According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, nearly all of southern Arkansas is currently classified as having a high wildfire danger, while counties farther north are listed in the moderate category. All but eight of Arkansas’ 75 counties are now under burn bans.
Conditions around Bradley County are particularly dry, and the weather is providing little immediate relief.
NOAA’s National Weather Service in Little Rock has Bradley County under a Heat Advisory through 8 p.m. Tuesday. For Warren, the NWS is forecasting a high near 101 degrees Tuesday, with the heat index potentially reaching 108 degrees. Another high near 101 is forecast Wednesday, again with heat index values as high as 108.
The heat is expected to remain entrenched through the remainder of the week. Warren’s forecast calls for a high near 98 Thursday, 97 Friday, 98 Saturday and 97 Sunday. The NWS said Tuesday morning that much of Arkansas will remain under a major to extreme heat risk into Thursday before some relief arrives later in the week.
Perhaps more concerning from a wildfire standpoint is just how dry the ground and vegetation have become. The National Weather Service’s Tuesday morning fire-weather forecast placed Bradley County’s Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI, at 773. The index ranges from zero, representing no drought, to 800, representing extreme drought.
The Bradley County fire-weather forecast also shows little meaningful rainfall in the immediate future. The regular Warren forecast remains predominantly hot and dry, with only a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday night and another slight chance Monday.
Those conditions mean grasses, leaves, pine straw, brush and other fuels can become increasingly susceptible to ignition. Residents should follow all county burn-ban restrictions and use extreme caution with anything outdoors that could create a spark or flame.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is currently discouraging outdoor burning statewide because of elevated wildfire risk.
Saline River News will continue helping readers keep track of changing conditions. The burn ban banner at the top of the SRN homepage serves as a state-of-the-art burn ban hub, displaying active burn bans for Bradley County and each county surrounding Bradley.
With conditions capable of changing quickly, the system is designed to give readers an easy place to check the latest burn-ban status throughout the immediate area.
As the heat continues and meaningful rainfall remains scarce, residents across Bradley County and the surrounding region are urged to take the wildfire threat seriously and avoid any activity that could accidentally start a fire.
