DEEP: Forest fire danger high

NORWALK — Moderate drought around the state has warranted a “high alert” for forest fires this weekend, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

A stretch of unusually warm and dry fall weather has pushed portions of New England back into drought, according to the latest survey of conditions by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Nearly 43 percent of Connecticut is considered to be in “moderate drought.”

Drought conditions, in turn, have raised the concerns of the DEEP, which raised its Forest Fire Danger Level from “moderate” to “high” on Saturday. The DEEP ranks fire risks from “low” to “extreme,” with “high” falling right in the middle.

The warning is in effect for Fairfield and New Haven counties, as well as Litchfield, Hartford, Tolland, Windham, and Middlesex counties as well. The only county without a high alert is New London.

A combination of the drought, gusty, dry winds and the dry, not quite cured leaves of the fall is largely to blame for increased warning level, DEEP officials said. As the sun gets lower and diminishes in drying capacity, fires can spread especially rapidly, according to the DEEP website.

In the event of a forest fire, the DEEP advises residents to “remain calm, go to the nearest telephone and dial 911 to report the fire as quickly as possible to your local fire department. Calmly tell the emergency dispatcher when you saw it and where you saw it. Stay on the telephone until the dispatcher tells you to hang up.”

Starting in early spring, the state’s Division of Forestry begins monitoring the weather as it relates to fire danger. Connecticut traditionally experiences high forest fire danger in the spring from mid-March through May, though fall comes with its own forest fire risks.

In an average year, approximately 500 acres of Connecticut woodland are burned by forest fires.