Over the past month, wildfires have spread across Alabama like there's no tomorrow, taking an even worse turn in the past week alone. Since October 1st, more than 22,000 acres of land have burned, making this one of our most tragic natural disasters to date. With no sign of rain anytime soon, the devastating wildfires are continuing to rage all throughout our state.
This October the state of Alabama had five times as many fires as it did during that month last year.
Seen above, a photo taken by the Alabama National Guard on November 19th shows one of its helicopters delivering a bucket of water. Unfortunately, many of the areas that are currently suffering from wildfires are impossible to reach by either bulldozers or firefighters, leaving helicopters as our only resort.
Right now all 67 counties in Alabama are currently under a burn ban because of the ongoing drought.
A ban on outdoor burning has been placed over all 67 counties in the state. According to the Forestry Commission, since October 1st, a total of 1,869 wildfires have burned 22,352 acres in Alabama.
With the terrible combination of low humidity and high winds, the wildfires have rapidly continued to grow more and more intense.
While the drought may be what initially caused the wildfires to break out, it's this terrible combination of conditions that has allowed the natural disasters to further spread and get worse.
Governor Robert Bentley just approved $690,000 in Emergency Funds to help fight the wildfires.
On Monday November 21st, the Governor approved the funds to help fight against the wildfires. The money that was approved will be used by the Alabama Forestry Commission as well as the fire departments that are helping to put out wildfires all over the state.
With no sign of a considerable amount of rain in sight, the wildfires continue to burn all over Alabama.
As of right now, areas near Lookout Mountain and the town of Mentone are of great concern. It's been reported that over one thousand acres have burned on Lookout Mountain and fires are still currently raging.
Have you been affected by the wildfires in our state at all? Share your experiences with all of us and most importantly, stay safe!
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