MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The crackle of autumn leaves underfoot is a familiar sound in West Virginia, but this year those leaves carry more than just the promise of fall.
Dry weather, gusty winds, and lower-than-average rainfall have created a perfect recipe for West Virginia wildfires, according to Mark Lambert, director of the WVU Extension Fire Service at Morgantown.
“We’re going into the season several inches down in water for the water table, and it’s been particularly windy and dry,” Lambert said. “It’s going to make ripe conditions for an active forest fire season.”
Outdoor Burning Rules for Fall Fire Season
Through December 31, West Virginians will once again fall under the state’s outdoor burning law. Fires are permitted only between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. — a rule designed to give residents the chance to burn debris while reducing the risk of a spark turning into something bigger.
But, Lambert cautions, the law only works if people take it seriously. “Make sure you don’t burn outdoors when they tell you not to burn outdoors,” he said.
“If you absolutely have to burn natural growth, which is all you’re supposed to burn anyway, make sure you are there with it the whole time and that you have an adequate water supply to drown it at the end.”
Backyard Fires Pose a Serious Risk
Backyard leaf burning, a seasonal ritual for many, is one of the most common causes of West Virginia wildfires. “If those get out of control, you’re responsible for all the damage done, no matter how far the fire goes or however many people end up having to work on it,” Lambert said.
For firefighters, the stakes are high. The W.Va. Division of Forestry already has its hands full during fire season, and Lambert said careless mistakes make a tough job even tougher. “We don’t need to add to their burden by being careless and causing unnecessary fires,” he said.
Indoor Fire Safety for Fall
Fire safety doesn’t stop at the edge of the forest. With cooler temperatures pushing people indoors, Lambert also encourages households to check smoke detectors. Fresh batteries are essential, and the devices themselves don’t last forever.
“There’s a label inside most smoke detectors that tells you when it was manufactured,” Lambert explained. “If your smoke detector is more than 10 years old, you need to replace that smoke detector.”
History of West Virginia wildfires
West Virginia wildfire history stretches from destructive early-20th-century town fires to massive mid-century burn seasons and several notable 21st-century outbreaks.
On "Black Monday” on March 27, 1950, gale-force winds helped spark and spread nearly 200 fires that destroyed tens of thousands of acres in a single day in parts of southern West Virginia, and 1952 stands out as the state’s worst recorded fire year, when roughly 586,000 acres burned during the fall season—about 638,000 acres for the year.
The late 20th century produced other large seasons. In 1987, dozens of fires scorched hundreds of thousands of acres across the region. In 1991, a severe drought led to hundreds of fires that collectively consumed large tracts of timber and brush, straining firefighting resources.
In the 21st century, the scale of single incidents has generally been smaller than the vast mid-century seasons, but significant, hard-fought wildfires have continued.
In November 2013, the Smoke Hole fire in the Monongahela National Forest burned roughly 1,400–1,600 acres and required coordinated aerial and ground suppression, marking the largest fire in that forest in decades.
More recently, the West Virginia Division of Forestry reported busy seasons on non-federal lands — for example, the 2022 fall season concluded with approximately 890 fires that burned 20,395 acres statewide, and 2024 saw major, rapid-spread fires in the northeastern counties that mobilized the National Guard and prompted state emergency declarations.
Across the century, the pattern is clear: human activity, combined with dry weather, strong winds, and drought, has repeatedly turned routine fires into large, damaging incidents.
That history helps explain why modern prevention laws, public education, and interagency firefighting coordination remain central to limiting damage when fall and spring fire seasons arrive.
As autumn colors sweep across the Mountain State, Lambert emphasizes the importance of caution. West Virginians can still enjoy the season, but it will take care and vigilance to keep small flames from becoming full-scale West Virginia wildfires.
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