Recent fire activity, unseasonably dry weather, lack of precipitation and projected environmental conditions over the holiday weekend make wildfires a greater threat this holiday weekend.

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Maine Forest Service is requesting that citizens exercise care with any outdoor fires, especially over the holiday weekend. There has been an increase in wildfires this year and with the current forecast for warm and dry weather over the fourth of July, there could be more. The recent precipitation was not consistent statewide and some areas received less than half an inch of rain. Lightning associated with thunderstorms may have also ignited dry timber and slash.

So far in 2016, there have been 464 wildfires throughout Maine that have burned a total of 752 acres. This is roughly 12 percent more fires and affected acreage than from the entire 2015 fire season. The most common causes of wildfires are escaped debris burns and equipment (machine) caused fires. Most of these fires are caused by people being careless and are preventable. Either the fire gets away from them, or they fail to fully extinguish the fire and it rekindles the next day.

Wildfire activity this past week:

Mount Abrams Township – 43 acres
Cathance Township Fire – 30 acres
Harpswell – 3 acres
Gouldsboro – 2 acres
Weld, near Mount Blue – 1 acre

The Maine Forest Service advises citizens to check with their local fire department before burning their brush piles or having a campfire. Burn permits are required for burning brush and in some municipalities, campfire permits are also required. For those who want to burn in the unorganized townships, please contact the Regional Headquarters for the Maine Forest Service Monday through Friday 8 – 4 p.m. Augusta (207) 624-3700, Old Town (207) 827-1800, Ashland (207) 435-7963.

The Maine Forest Service also has an online burn permit system for brush pile fires only. Please visit http://www.maineburnpermit.com for more details.