Fall fire season has arrived across our region. Don’t let a little rainy weather in September fool you, things are still dry enough to elevate the risk of wildfires. That risk is already higher now that leaves are hitting the ground, and other vegetation is either going dormant and drying out or dying altogether at this time of year.

Lower humidity and fall breezes may be pleasant for us, but they, too, add to the risk.

All those factors create “a situation where we have an elevated risk of wildfires here in Ohio,” according to the state Division of Forestry’s Aaron Kloss.

Conditions are similar in West Virginia, where officials add the danger that comes from residents who choose to burn all that lawn debris.

“Wildfires pose a significant threat to our communities, forests, and natural

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