The Arkansas Department of Agriculture launched an online dashboard detailing active wildfires across the state this week, as a months-long drought has left a third of the state at a high risk for wildfires and nearly the entire state under burn bans.
The dashboard shows the current number of wildfires and acres affected by them, as well as details about individual fires and their location.
Year-to-date data about wildfire numbers and acreage is also included. According to the dashboard, as of Thursday, there have been 1,097 wildfires, with 27,182 acres burned so far this year. One wildfire is currently burning.
The agriculture department has warned that fire risk is expected to go up across the state in the coming weeks. The department has 175 wildland firefighters and other equipment and resources used to fight fires on the 15 million acres of non-federal forest it protects.
“This new resource is designed to provide timely, reliable information to Arkansans and support public awareness during periods of elevated fire risk,” the department wrote in a press release earlier this week. “While the Department encourages the use of this dashboard to stay informed, it is critical that Arkansans follow established safety guidance.”
The department said people should “never attempt to approach or investigate a wildfire on your own” due to conditions that can change rapidly when a wildfire is burning.
While drought conditions have improved compared to how they were in the spring — 92% of the state was in a state of severe drought, at a minimum, at the beginning of April — 71% of Arkansas is at least in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with 40% of the state in severe or extreme drought.
Relief isn’t likely to come soon. While the National Weather Service in Little Rock noted on its website that next week will bring better chances for relief from the extreme heat baking the state in recent weeks, “widespread beneficial rainfall doesn’t look promising at this time” even with higher rainfall chances.
Originally published on arkansasadvocate.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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