Are conditions ripe for Mississippi to see massive wildfires as Hawaii has?

Summer 2023 will go down in the record books as one of the hottest in the history of Mississippi, but does that mean the state could see wildfires burn out of control like they have been in other parts of the globe?

Wildfires have been burning out of control in at least a dozen U.S. states and across the globe in places such Canada, Greece and Chile.

The Maui fire in Hawaii has claimed at least 99 lives, with many areas there still searching for victims.

Mississippi's chances of seeing similar catastrophes are low right now, despite conditions like triple-digit temperatures and little to no rain for weeks, according to Mike Edmonston, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. But that doesn't mean Mississippi is out of the woods.

"We have an increasing fire danger this week," Edmonston said. "It is because we're dry. We're not necessarily meeting red-flag warning and fire-weather watch criteria."

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The criteria include a low relative humidity and wind speed in excess of 15 mph in addition to the hot and dry conditions Mississippi is already experiencing, he said.

Mississippi Forestry Commission officials are preparing for a worst-case scenario, just in case.

"Looking ahead, the Mississippi Forestry Commission anticipates an increased risk of significant wildfires that are resistant to control in the near future," said Shannon Coker, communications director for the Mississippi Forestry Commission. "The agency is implementing a centralized command center and mobilizing an incident management team."

Mississippians should stay aware that wildfires are breaking out, primarily in the southern part of the state. For instance, a grass fire was reported in Hancock County over the weekend but firefighters were able to get it under control quickly.

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If conditions change, though, the next fire could set the wheels in motion for an uncontrollable burn.

"Mississippi is currently facing elevated fire weather conditions, which have significantly increased the potential for control-resistant wildfires," Coker said. "The combination of elevated fire weather, dry to critically dry vegetation, and strong winds poses a specific threat.

"The potential for fire ignition in brush, debris, and fuel remains high, especially considering the proximity to critical drought monitor levels."

Coker said the commission has already received around 150 calls about wildfires in August, some of which were inadvertently started by humans.

Burn bans are in effect in 19 Mississippi counties as of Wednesday morning. Local authorities determine whether their county should be placed under a burn ban. People in other counties should stay aware of dry conditions as well.

The counties that have burn bans include Adams, Amite, Copiah, Covington, Franklin, Hancock, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Pearl River, Pike, Rankin, Simpson, Smith, Walthall and Wayne. The list evolves daily.

Edmonston said some of the fires may have been started by someone tossing a lit cigarette butt, for example, or letting a trailer chain drag on a highway, sparking a fire that can quickly spread. That can become dangerous in the dry conditions in Mississippi.

"What we're seeing is record-high temperatures for several days and we haven't seen substantial rain south of Highway 82 for weeks now, so everything is dried out, Edmonston said.

"Because we're getting into drought conditions and the temperatures have been record highs, that's why we're advertising (fire alerts), we're not really looking for much in the way of strong winds, nothing like what Hawaii had — these guys had very high winds in addition to conditions that contribute to the spread of wildfires."

Sunday saw eight cities with record-breaking high temperatures and two on Monday that broke previous records for a daily high.

The record-breaking temperatures came to a halt on Tuesday after days of temperatures in the triple digits, but are expected to increase again later in the week.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: What are chances for major wildfires in Mississippi with record heat