The Oak Ridge Fire Department has responded to an outbreak of brush fires during the past few weeks, and on Thursday, officials asked residents to take precautions to prepare for a potential event in their area.

“Many people associate brush and wildland fires with California and ‘out West’ but that isn’t true,” ORFD Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. “With the numerous greenbelts, natural areas, and power line clearings here in Oak Ridge, we have several areas that are prone (to) brush fires.”

Most of the recent fires have involved dried kudzu, which burns very rapidly, especially during this time of year when everything is still dry and the daytime humidity isn’t very low, a press release said. Couple the amount of kudzu, fallen pine trees, dead leaves, and undergrowth with the current weather patterns, along with the topography of most of Oak Ridge, and there is a potential for small fires to become out of control very quickly. [Read more…]