More Than 1,200 Wildfires Reported In Arkansas Last Year

KUAR | By Associated Press

Published January 20, 2017 at 1:59 PM CST

An aerial view of a wildfire near Charleston, Arkansas from November, 2017.

Arkansas forestry officials say 2016 was a relatively quiet year for wildfires, but the fires still burned nearly 30 square miles in the state.

The Arkansas Forestry Commission says there was a total of 1,248 wildfires last year, and the busiest months were February, March and November. Officials say the top two causes of wildfires in the state were fires unintentionally started by outdoor burning and arson.

State Forester Joe Fox says officials are concerned about wildfire conditions in 2017 because of lingering drought conditions and a build-up of fuel on the ground that's attributed to several years in a row with low wildfire activity.

Associated Press

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.

See stories by Associated Press