Ninety-one active fires across the state have been reported as of Monday, but this number can change several times a day, according to Ludie Bond, the wildfire mitigation specialist at the Waccasassa Forestry Center.
An active fire is uncontained no matter how long it has been burning. A fire can only be considered inactive once there is no longer any visible smoke or flame.
To contain these fires, firefighters use bulldozers to plow ditches around them. When the fire reaches the edge of the ditch, it cannot continue further because the dirt won't burn, so it is considered contained, Bond said.
Most of these fires are caused by lightning, but some are “incendiary” fires, or caused by humans.