With the cooler temperatures on the way, fire officials warn residents to remain vigilant as Fall Wildfire Season in Virginia officially begins Wednesday and continues through Nov. 30.

“Cooler weather means more people doing yard work, which means more brush pile burning,” said Jeff Darr, local forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry. This, with lower humidity and the leaf fall, increases the dangers of wildfires spreading, and more quickly.

Darr said some people may have the dangers of wildfires in the back of their minds since summer fire activity locally was even lower than normal due to the frequency of rain.

He also said the Department of Environmental Quality’s summer burn ban in Gloucester was lifted in September, which mean there are a lot of people who have been waiting all summer to burn, and want to get their work finished as soon as possible.

For those who do burn, Darr said there are some important safety tips to remember. “The most important aspect when deciding whether to burn or not are the weather conditions,” he said. “Only burn on non-windy days where there is relatively high humidity.” He advised people to wait until it’s raining or the day after a rain to burn if that is possible. “Remember, if the grass is wet, no fire will escape,” he said.

Darr also encouraged those who burn during this time to make sure the fire is attended at all times, and that it is completely out before leaving it. “Some of our worst wildfires have started from brush pile fires that the landowners thought were out, but then reignited a week later on a dry, windy day while no one was around,” he said. “The ash and coals from a fire can be very deceiving.”

Darr encouraged residents with questions on whether or not any given day is a good day to burn to call the local VDOF office at 693-2880.