Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on the status of the wildfires Monday. Following his declaration of a state of emergency last Thursday, Beshear continues to encourage Kentuckians to stay vigilant as wildfires continue to challenge parts of the commonwealth. There currently are 16 active wildfires, meaning fires that are being worked on but that continue to spread, down from 31 on Thursday. A total of 36 fires are contained – those that have containment lines stopping their spread but that require some level of action – and 76 fires are now considered controlled – those that have been managed and are no longer at risk of escaping control lines – up from 44 on Thursday. Approximately 26,869 acres have been impacted. Weather conditions continue to be challenging. High pressure will continue to settle across the Ohio Valley through Thursday. This will lead to very dry weather with high temperatures averaging above normal through Friday. Drought conditions have increased threats of wildfires, with at least 40% of the state experiencing drought conditions. Kentucky is in the midst of the Fall Wildfire Hazard Season, and there are additional restrictions through county-level burn bans. These burn bans prohibit the burning of any kind of material at any time of the day. For current county burn bans, please click here. The Governor commended the Kentucky Division of Forestry (KDF) and hundreds of firefighters working around the clock to contain the flames.
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