Early March saw more than 200 wildfires break out in the southeastern U.S. – a busy start to the region’s annual fire season. One fire in the Carolina Forest near Myrtle Beach scorched over 2,000 acres over a two-week period and firefighters were busy containing it and many other blazes.
Strong winds and an unusually long dry period have made fires more likely to ignite and be spread. Lightning strikes, power line sparking, backyard fire pits and leaf burning all can lead to wildfires under these conditions.
A weather disaster last year may be helping to make this fire season worse than usual. Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast last September, dumping more than a foot of rain in some locations and knocking over hundreds of thousands of acres of trees across the region.
Lots of dead trees lying on the ground allow sunlight to reach the ground and dry out all the biomass, including the trees. All of this desiccated plant material acts as kindling, providing fuel for wildfires. Fallen trees can be a fire nuisance for years after a hurricane, especially in the Southeast, where dried out pine needles are highly combustible. All it takes is an ignition.
In addition, all the fallen trees represent an access issue for firefighters as the logs block roads needed to reach the fires.
Research has shown that climate change is fueling more intense fires in the West. Whether the changing climate is having a major effect in the Southeast isn’t clear. But droughts are expected to become more intense and more frequent in the Southeast because of climate change and that isn’t good news for the likelihood of wildfires.
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Web Links
How Hurricanes Can Fuel Wildfires in the Southeast
Photo, posted March 5, 2025, courtesy of the U.S. Army National Guard / Roberto Di Giovine via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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