Burning ban is issued for Mecklenburg

Published Feb. 22, 2011 at 8:32 a.m.
Humidity levels rose Monday afternoon, but gusty winds and continued dry conditions have led fire officials to issue an outdoor burning ban in Mecklenburg County.

The ban comes in the midst of a dry spell that has seen hundreds of wildfires break out across the Carolinas in the last week.

A red flag warning for high wildfire risk was in effect Monday for York, Chester, Cherokee and other counties in South Carolina's Upstate.

Meteorologists say the fire danger could increase today, when humidity levels fall again.

The outdoor burning ban includes recreational fires, and it means all burning permits have been canceled. Rob Kinniburgh, deputy fire chief in Charlotte, said the ban will remain in effect "until further notice." A similar ban has been issued in Mooresville and other places in the Carolinas.

While temperatures in the Charlotte region climbed toward record levels Monday afternoon, gusts also increased.

The temperature in Charlotte hit 75 degrees Monday, tying the 1917 record for the date. A high-temperature record also was tied Friday, when the high reached 78 at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

Relative humidity levels in Charlotte, which were near 10 percent Saturday and Sunday, rose Monday afternoon to about 40 percent. Despite the increased moisture in the air, winds gusted above 20 mph, and authorities said they fear even small fires could spread rapidly.

In North Carolina, firefighters have battled small and large blazes across the state, including more than 100 fires covering more than 2,500 acres on Sunday.

In Eastern North Carolina on Monday, dozens of personnel fought a fire that covered more than 1,000 acres in Warren County.

Officials worried that high winds could whip up a wildfire that has already scorched 1,400 acres near Chimney Rock in the western part of the state.

In South Carolina, more than 445 wildfires have been reported statewide in February, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission.

Conditions are especially dangerous along the coast in both Carolinas, where winds averaged 15 to 20 mph Monday with gusts of more than 30 mph.

In York County, S.C., a Clover teenager faces an arson charge after officials say he started a fire that spread to a neighbor's house and a shed Saturday afternoon.

Andrew Brian Maximus Price, 18, was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree arson on North Beersheba Road, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report.

Fire officials were initially called to a woods fire around 2 p.m. Saturday, and when they arrived they saw the fire had spread to a house and a nearby shed.

Witnesses told deputies they saw two young men running from the wooded area near the fire.

The house wasn't occupied, but it contained a family's belongings, Lt. Mike Baker said. The damage was estimated at around $70,000.

The Associated Press and (Rock Hill) Herald contributed.

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