Earlier this week, Gov. Bevin declared a statewide emergency in light of a number of wildfires plaguing far southeastern Kentucky.
A statewide daytime burn ban is also in effect, but several counties in our listening area are extending local bans past dark.
Calloway County Emergency Manager Bill Call says Calloway is on a 24-hour burn ban.
He says he worries that falling leaves might motivate some residents to burn rubbish this weekend, but even small fires combined with extreme drought and heavy winds can spark a wildfire.
Emergency Management officials in Graves, Marshall, McCracken, Fulton, Hickman and Livingston Counties have also declared a countywide ban.
Call says a general rule of thumb is wait for at least one inch of rain before lifting a burn ban.
The Kentucky Division of Forestry says 932 wildfires have occurred so far this year burning over 27,000 acres – close to 70 percent of those fires were caused by arson.
