A number of factors, including high temperatures and a lack of rainfall, have elevated the risk of wildfire in the Heart of Virginia.

“We’re seeing some pretty heavy drought conditions, primarily in kind of (central and eastern Prince Edward County) and then heading eastward,” said Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) Senior Area Forester Patrick Murphy, who serves the counties of Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward.

Murphy said a significant rainfall event could help lessen these conditions, but that it could be back to the current state after three or four 90-degree weather days.

“We’d like people to refrain from any significant-sized open burning at this point until we see a significant rainfall,” Murphy said. “We’re not talking about you can’t have a little campfire or you can’t barbecue or anything like that.”

He said VDOF provides burning services in an effort to prepare land for reforestation.

“Prescribed fire, you know, done by professionals, is really a great tool for not only fuel reduction but also site preparation for a future forest,” Murphy said.

He said for big brush and debris fires, residents can call any VDOF office to take advantage of the service.

“We’re seeing some very high readings on our drought indices,” said John Miller, VDOF’s director of fire and emergency response in an agency press release. “And that’s a bit unusual for summer in Virginia.”

According to the release, the VDOF performs a daily check of the moisture level in Virginia soils and plots the data on a scale ranging from zero, full saturation, to 800, desert conditions.

“While more than half of the commonwealth is above 450 on this scale, the 10-county area surrounding Farmville is approaching 600,” officials said in the release.

Miller said in the release that the ground is very dry as are the fuels that burn during wildfires.

“This means fires can start more easily and be more difficult to extinguish. That’s why it’s important for people to be more aware of this elevated fire risk and to take more precautions than they otherwise might during the summer months,” Miller said in the release. “More than 95 percent of wildfires in Virginia are the direct result of human activity, so almost all are preventable.”