KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Weather and forestry experts said that the only things preventing a wildfire from igniting in East Tennessee as of Friday are the people in the region.
They are urging people to continue paying attention to burn notices in their areas, tracking weather conditions and keeping whatever fires they need to set under control, ultimately helping make sure wildfires don't spread.
"It is really dry," said Nathan Water, Assistant District Forester. "This the saving grace for us as far as wildfires go is number one, people are being safe."
Meteorologists said that parts of Knox County are experiencing levels of extreme and severe drought as of Nov. 3.
"Boy, has it been dry both in September and October. In fact, that is the driest in our area — the Knoxville area — has seen ever," said Anthony Cavallucci, a Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Morristown.
Less than a half-inch of rain fell in East Tennessee during September, and October saw around 0.63 inches of rain. Both months combined to create the driest two months in the history of East Tennessee.
"Just the fact that you walk around on the ground — it's crunch, you know, and you can bend over and pick the leaves up and stuff. And you can see how dry the needles are now," said Water.
Unlike in other wildfire hot spots like the West Coast, experts said people play the biggest role in the cause of wildfires in East Tennessee.
"Mostly what causes fire here in East Tennessee is people either directly, you know, putting a cigar on the ground or shooting fireworks or leaving a campfire unattended or a brush pile unattended," said Water.
Both experts said that your response to a possible fire can be the difference between life and death.
"Don't be surprised if a fire does break out, and be ready to act quickly. That is, that could save your life, your family's life and others in your community's life," said Cavallucci.