PICKENS COUNTY — The South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC) has issued a statewide Red Flag Fire Alert, effective at 6 a.m. Monday, March 7.

SCFC officials said the alert was issued to discourage people from burning outdoors due to weather conditions presenting an elevated risk of wildfire.

In addition to weather forecasts for most of the state calling for higher-than-normal winds and wind gusts in the near term, the agency is already responding to a dramatic uptick in wildfire ignitions in the past 72 hours, they said.

The agency has recorded 106 wildfires which have burned more than 1,500 acres between Thursday and Saturday, adding to a busy season that has already seen more wildfires in the first three months of 2022 than all of last fiscal year (July 2020-June 2021).

“One of our major concerns in addition to the elevated fire danger itself is that fire activity may exceed our capacity to respond. These conditions could create a scenario where we have more fires than we have resources,” said SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones. “The increase in fires is something we expect and plan for at the start of spring every year, but strong winds can really push fire danger to its limit, and we’re seeing that now.”

The high winds and gusts, combined with the very dry fuels on the ground, are also leading to re-ignitions of previously contained fires.

While March is historically one of the busiest months for the Forestry Commission, firefighters on the ground are reporting this week’s spate of more frequent and larger-than-average fires are taking longer — and more firefighting resources — to contain and ultimately control, they said.

A Red Flag Fire Alert does not prohibit outdoor burning, provided that all other state and local regulations are followed, but the Forestry Commission uses the alert to strongly encourage citizens to voluntarily postpone any such burning until the alert is lifted.

“Although a Red Flag Fire Alert does not ban outdoor burning, it does trigger certain county or local ordinances that restrict outdoor fires, so residents should contact their local fire departments to check whether such restrictions apply in their areas,” they said.

SCFC officials expect to lift the alert later in the week as weather conditions improve.