Updated: Kentucky wildfires still burning as smoky conditions drift into Lexington

Two Estill County wildfires created smoky conditions in Lexington and other parts of Kentucky Wednesday morning.

Emergency management officials said in a Facebook post 300 to 500 acres in Estill County had burned in a wildfire as of Tuesday morning. A separate fire near the town of Ravenna had also burned at least 100 acres as of Tuesday night, Lex 18 News reports.

On Wednesday the Estill County Emergency Management Agency provided a map of where the fires are burning. The agency said no structures have been lost. The agency said that a fire in the area of Pitts Road was so big that the state forestry department “isn’t even estimating right now” how much acreage has burned.

Just after noon on Wednesday, the agency said the Pitts Road fire and an additional fire in the area of Chamberlain Branch were continuing to burn and the amount of acreage lost is unknown.

“We want to ask everyone to please avoid the areas where fires are unless you live there,” the agency wrote in a Facebook post. “We know everyone is curious and wants to see it, but it has caused some traffic issues this morning.”

The agency also said heavy smoke will be visible in the area, especially in valley areas. They told people to call 911 if they saw rolling smoke or flames.

At 2:30 p.m. the agency said the fire near Pitts Road has been fully contained. People can still expect to see smoke and flames in the containment area, the agency said.

The fire burned 635 acres and impacted the Pitts, Ticky Fork, and Betsey Ridge areas, according to the agency.

The fire was producing a haze across Lexington early Wednesday. Maj. Jessica Bowman with the Lexington Fire Department said there are no active fire conditions in Fayette County despite the smokey conditions.

An eight-man team from the Lexington Fire Department was dispatched to Ravenna Wednesday afternoon to assist with the Chamberlain fire. The team is expected to stay in Estill County through Thursday evening.

“The reason we are getting it today is the wind direction changed,” said Chris Bailey, chief meteorologist for WKYT TV. “Winds are coming from the southeast today as opposed to the northeast like what we had yesterday. Obviously, Estill County is to our southeast. We stay dry and windy through Thursday so the fires will continue to burn. Heavy rain moves in Friday and should be a soaker for most of the area.”

In response to conditions, the Lexington Fire Department issued a burn ban Wednesday morning for Fayette County to run through 7 a.m. Friday.

“This ban is being issued in response to a National Weather Service Special Weather Statement for Fayette County regarding an elevated risk of fire danger, coupled with multiple grass fires fought by crews within the past week,” a release stated. “Further, dangerous fire conditions exist due to low rainfall amounts, high winds, and low humidity.”

The ban means individuals should not set outdoor fires, including burning trash, cooking and construction debris fires. It also suspends all open burning permits in the area.

The burn ban for Estill County also remains in place amid relatively low humidity and wild gusts of 10 to 15 mph, per the National Weather Service.

On top of local burn bans, there are also state laws prohibiting people from starting fires within 150 feet of forests from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day during forest fire season, according to Bridget Abernathy with the Kentucky Division of Forestry. There are two wildfire seasons in Kentucky, one in the fall and one in the spring.

The fall season runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 15.

“The reason why we have these two seasons is that we have a propensity for fires to start and to burn based on a different condition that occurs during that time,” Abernathy said. “When we have lower relative humidity with warm temperatures and strong winds, but more fuel on the ground – the fuel is of course the leaves and other debris on the ground – we have a higher chance of fires being started.

Abernathy said the Division of Forestry is encouraging people to hold off on burning until areas experiencing dry conditions see some rain.

“We are going to get a little bit of rain hopefully at the end of the week but we also have the hurricane that’s coming up from the south — we may get some high winds that result from that, so that will increase fire behavior naturally with some of those wind gusts,” Abernathy said.

Could smoky conditions in Lexington cause health concerns?

A UK HealthCare official on Wednesday answered common questions about safety concerns as the smoke drifted into Central Kentucky.

Inhaling smoke, even small amounts, can raise health concerns, especially for people with breathing and pulmonary issues. Dr. David Manninio with UK Healthcare said people worrying about the excess smoke in Fayette County should stay indoors with the windows shut.

“Smoke from wildfires is called ‘fine particulate air pollution’ and can be irritating to people — especially those with existing lung conditions such as asthma or COPD,” Manninio said.

If someone does experience breathing problems, they’re encouraged to contact their physician’s office first and follow an action plan if the patient has one.

This story may be updated.