Driest summer since 2002 leads to increase in brush fires

Southwestern Pennsylvania set an April record for rainfall this year, racking up nearly 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

But over the past six months, the region has experienced drought-like conditions that have left Western Pennsylvania at a 3-inch rainfall deficit.

This has created ideal conditions for brush fires.

“We had a very wet spring,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Timothy Cermak said. “But we followed that with the driest summer we’ve had since 2002.”

Westmoreland County fire companies have responded to 506 calls this year for what are categorized as brush fires. That already exceeds last year’s total of 501 and far outpaces the totals of 360 in 2022 and 457 in 2021.

The region isn’t alone, as a rash of wildfires has struck the Northeast U.S. over the past several days, according to the Associated Press, including a blaze in New York and New Jersey that killed a parks employee over the weekend. The employee of the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department who was assisting firefighting crews died Saturday when he was hit by a falling tree.

The East Coast fires were burning as much larger wildfires raged in California.

There have been multiple brush fires in the region, including one earlier this year near McCune Road in South Huntingdon that grew to nearly 5 acres before being knocked down.

“Our department has an advantage because we have 20 members who are trained in (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) forestry, including two wardens,” said Dan Pergola, chief at Turkeytown VFD, the lead company at the South Huntingdon fire. “For the most part, we didn’t use water, we used our sawyers and hand crews.”

A sawyer is a firefighter trained to cut down specific trees during a brush or woodland fire.

Back-to-back mild winters could make the 2024 brush fire season more intense, but the area’s fire chiefs say they are prepared.

“Normally, our brush fire season goes from late May until about November, depending on temperature and how dry the leaves are,” said Lower Burrell VFC No. 3 Chief Brennan Sites.

Westmoreland County Public Safety Director Roland “Buddy” Mertz said the most recent state report on weather conditions puts the county at a low risk for brush fires.

“I think the steady rain we got over the weekend helped some with lowering that risk,” Mertz said.

Before the rain on Sunday, Tarentum’s Summit Hose Co. and neighboring companies fought a 15-acre fire over the weekend in the borough’s Fourth Ward, said Josh Fox, Summit Hose Co. fire chief. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshal, Fox said.

“It was pretty remote,” Fox said.

The brush fire was hard to fight because it was in a wooded area that was not easily accessible. But the Rachel Carson Trail and West Penn Power line paths and a gas line cut through the woods, allowing firefighters to get some ATVs to the site of the fire, Fox said.

Firefighters hooked a truck to a hydrant and filled a water supply container to feed the smaller brush trucks that maneuvered through the woods.

In some areas, firefighters had to down trees and dig fire breaks in the woods using a rake and a shovel, Fox said.

A red flag

Brian Vinski, who spent nearly three decades as the forest fire specialist supervisor at Forbes State Forest, said he became more concerned as the winter of 2023 progressed and continued with mild weather.

“We had very little snow pack, very mild conditions, and even in January (2023) we were seeing field fires popping up across our counties,” said Vinski, who recently retired. “That was a red flag for us.”

The cause of most brush fires is somewhat predictable. That stands in stark opposition to the fires themselves, which can change direction with the wind.

“Someone could take all the right precautions and actions, and if the wind conditions are wrong, it can escape quickly,” Vinski said.

Today, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry’s forest assistant manager, Cory Wentzel, works with a staff of about 40 people to cover six counties and 60,000 acres of state forest, where they are responsible for wildfire suppression and investigation.

“Since July 1, we’ve responded or sent a fire warden to 71 wildfires covering about 165 acres,” Wentzel said.

By comparison, those crews responded to 44 fires covering 25 acres in 2023, and 43 fires covering 101 acres in 2022.

“This fall isn’t even over, and we’re already up to 71,” he said. “I’ve been here for 27 years, and this is the first year I can recall multiple counties enacting temporary burn bans.”

As of Tuesday, 17 Pennsylvania counties have instituted 30-day burn bans until late November or early December. Fayette and Somerset counties have put temporary burn bans in effect for residents, as have some local communities in Westmoreland.

For wildfire experts like Wentzel and Vinski, it’s all about humidity and wind speed.

“Those are two large factors,” Vinski said. “There’s also the fuel type where ignition happens. If you have ignition in a field that’s 100 acres of grass, with some wind behind it? That rate of spread is going to be very rapid.”

By contrast, an ignition among larger fuel — such as trees and large downed branches — typically is countered with much more moisture.

“The ignition temperature has to be a lot higher, and that fire is not going to spread as quickly,” Vinski said.

Carelessness cited

In Westmoreland County, a large number of brush fires can be traced back to careless acts, whether it’s a controlled burn that got away from a property owner or a burning cigarette tossed out a window near a dry woodline.

Not every report of a brush fire is accurate — often a fire company will be called out, only to be called off a few minutes later when it’s discovered that a homeowner is simply using a burn barrel or getting rid of raked autumn leaves.

But controlled fires can turn into something more hazardous quite quickly.

“All it takes is a little breeze,” said Crabtree VFD Chief Bill Watkins. “The majority we see is outdoor burning, whether it’s yard waste, garbage or a recreational fire. What we’ve seen is that a lot of people think the fire’s out — they dump a little water on it and leave — but unless you stir it up and douse it, it’s going to char back up.”

Watkins said his department was busy last spring with several brush fires, which he mostly attributed to the mild winter.

“A lot of what we see is cigarettes flicked into mulch,” said Logans Ferry Heights Fire Chief Stephen Marsh of Plum. “A lot of landscaping and roadway material can ignite. We had one once in the summer where a semi-trailer’s brakes were malfunctioning and throwing sparks, and it was dry enough that it ignited a brush fire.”

In Allegheny County, West Deer VFC No. 3 Fire Chief Josh Wiegand doesn’t see a lot of burn-related brush fires because of the county’s stricter burn laws. His department’s brush fire calls generally come as a result of downed power lines.

Special equipment

Many departments have specialized trucks that are better equipped to access the places brush fires can spread.

Lower Burrell VFC No. 3 outfitted one of its vehicles with a 300-gallon pump and 1,000 feet of forestry hose.

“That allows us to get into places we can’t reach with the fire engine,” Sites said. Lower Burrell’s hilly topography and sizable wooded acreage make it susceptible to brush fires in dry conditions.

“Once it gets started, it can take off,” Sites said.

Bradenville VFD No. 1 in Derry Township has a brush truck and a four-wheel-drive “attack” truck along with a utility terrain vehicle that holds 80 gallons of water.

“We also use the county’s ATV team, which is specialized with tanks on their vehicles and training through the forestry department,” Bradenville Chief Mark Piantine said.

Youngwood Fire Chief Lloyd Crago said one of the most effective tools is a simple fire rake.

“Those are really the best way to knock them down,” he said. “We use those to create a line break to stop the fire, in combination with our booster tanks. Fighting brush fires in the woods, or even along the fields and highways, definitely takes a physical toll on everyone.”

Rough-terrain volunteers

Formed in 1999, the Westmoreland County Team 211 Rough Terrain Support Unit has about 40 member-owned all-terrain vehicles and other equipment it uses to respond to brush fires and search details in locations that firefighters on foot or in larger vehicles can’t easily reach.

“We don’t get called to small brush fires,” said Jason Frazier, chief of the all-volunteer unit of more than 50 members. “We get called to the ones you can’t walk, climb or get a fire truck to. A lot of times, we create our own path to get from point A to point B.”

Frazier said the unit’s brush fire calls in Westmoreland County and neighboring areas typically occur in the spring and fall.

“This year is much worse with the dry season,” he said. “It seems like it’s later this year than normal.” The unit responded to three calls recently within a two-week period.

While neither Westmoreland nor Allegheny County has enacted a burning ban, Wentzel said it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“I got nearly an inch of rain in my gauge over the weekend in Latrobe,” he said. “But with the wind, that’s going to dry up pretty quickly. We need a lot more rain than we just got. I’d urge people to just hold off from doing any burning.”