wildfire

Kentucky Division of Forestry firefighters are heading to Alaska to battle a number of wildfires.

The 16 full-time and 5 part-time firefighters will be joined by personnel from several federal agencies - including Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area - forming two 20-person crews.

The fall wildfire hazard season has started in Kentucky. The season runs from October 1 through December 15. During that time, outdoor burning is prohibited from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. within 150 feet of any woodland or brushland.

State Forestry Division Director Leah MacSwords says that with the last several weeks of dry weather, conditions are favorable for the spread of wildfires.

From NPR:  Californian Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill that clears a path for self-driving cars to become street legal, but obstacles still remain for the robotic vehicles.

Officials with the Kentucky Division of Forestry say this summer’s lack of rain, along with tornadoes that have knocked down trees have created the conditions for a potentially bad wildfire season.  The recent drought has dried out state forests in the Commonwealth, and fallen trees and limbs means there’s plenty of fuel for wildfires.  State forester Leah MacSwords says this could lead to an active fire season and be dangerous for firefighters.  She says people should take extra precautions and watch out for forest arson, the leading cause of Kentucky’s wildfires.  This fall’s fire season

Today on NPR: How The Smokey Bear Effect Led To Raging Wildfires

Firefighters say they’ve contained weekend wildfires that burned more than 250 acres of woodlands in northern parts of The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.

As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, forestry officials warn fireworks celebrations could cause fires. 

Officials say sparks from an electric line caused yesterday's wildfire along the Pennyrile Parkway in Christian County.

While West Kentucky's drought and fire risks are some of the worst in the state only four west Kentucky Counties have issued burn bans.

Today on NPR: It turns out he's not a 17-year-old boy who was living in the woods with his father until dad died — the story he told German police. He's a 20-year-old Dutch man with personal problems.

Regional Headlines:

Joppa Illinois' coal-fired power plant will shed nearly four dozen jobs in the next two months.