By Associated Press
Cullman AL – The Alabama Forestry Commission on Tuesday downgraded a no-burn order in north Alabama to a fire alert and cleared counties in south Alabama to resume normal burning practices.
Forestry officials said in a statement the rain over the past few days has "been enough to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire." Lower temperatures also played a role in providing enough moisture to justify lifting the no-burn order.
Under the fire alert, the state forestry commission will restrict issuing permits for outdoor burning. In north Alabama counties under the fire alert, trash and debris may be burned with caution.
In south Alabama, the fire alert has been lifted and counties are clear to resume normal burning.
The commission reminds Alabamians that the state is still facing abnormally dry conditions and urges them to use all necessary safety precautions during any burning. The commission will continue to check ground moisture and may need to reissue fire alert and no-burn orders for cleared counties.
The north Alabama counties downgraded from no-burn to fire alert include: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Fayette, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Marion, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston.
The seven south Alabama counties that have been removed from bothe no-burn and fire alert status include: Chilton, Choctaw, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, and Sumter.
A no burn order remains in effect for 12 counties, including Baldwin, DeKalb, Etowah, Jefferson, Lawrence, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Morgan, Russell, Shelby and Talladega. All outdoor burning is banned in those 12 counties until October 31st.