WNY cautioned about possible field and forest fires today
Photo by Tom Rivers – Barre firefighter Chris Flansburg works to put out a fire in a hedgerow along Route 98 on Sunday after a brush fire spread.
The National Weather Service has issued a “red flag warning” from noon to 7 p.m. today for western and northern central New York, saying the area is vulnerable to grass and forest fires.
Winds will move from southwest at 10 to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 to 35 mph, the Weather Service said.
Temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s, combined with humidity as low as 25 percent, have made the forest and grass fuels very dry.
The combination of factors “may result in dangerous fire behavior,” the Weather Service said. “Any fires that do occur could spread quickly, burn intensely and be difficult to contain.”
The Weather Service reminded the public a burn ban is in place until mid-May.
