State bans campfires at RI parks due to drought, but is rain on the way?
Don't expect to sing around the campfire in a Rhode Island state park anytime soon.
With the state in extreme drought and and facing a "dangerous" risk for wildfires, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has banned open campfires at state campgrounds and open fires at state parks.
"These prevention measures are in place to reduce the threat of human-caused wildfires that can seriously threaten life and property," the DEM said in a press release.
The Providence area has gotten less than an inch of rain since July 1, a period of time that normally produces more than five inches, according to the National Weather Service. But the Weather Service has rain in the forecast Monday and Tuesday, forecasting a chance of showers Monday with thunderstorms also possible after 10 a.m.
With the drought, Rhode Island is "witnessing increased wildfires," the DEM said in announcing the ban. The state has had more than 70 reported wildfires this year, with 42 acres of land burned, the DEM said.
RI's drought worsens: Here's what Sen. Jack Reed is asking for to help farmers
On Aug. 14, the DEM said, an illegal campfire sparked a wildfire in the Burlingame Management Area on the Charlestown/Hopkinton line that "consumed" 2.75 acres. Firefighters from the DEM and other departments spent eight hours extinguishing the blaze and several days monitoring it and extinguishing hot spots, the DEM said.
"If the wind conditions were stronger this incident may have been completely different," the DEM said.
Campers and park patrons can still use portable gas cooking stoves and grills, liquefied or bottled fuels, and propane/liquid-fueled lanterns in designated areas, the DEM said. The department said it will keep monitoring and evaluating conditions to decide when it can lift the ban.
jperry@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7614
On Twitter: @jgregoryperry
Be the first to know.
Sign up for our breaking news alerts
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: State bans campfires at RI parks, but forecast calls for rain
