Wildfires

Wildfires typically occur in North Carolina during the dry spring and summer months. While wildfire is a natural phenomenon, increased human activity has increased their occurrence.

Approximately 75% of wildfires in Forsyth County, which total approximately 70 per year, are High Potential Fires, which means one or more of the following could occur if no firefighting action was taken: 

  • The fire would pose a threat to human life, structures, or valued property.
  • The fire would burn for more than two hours.
  • The fire would burn over 300 acres.

Living In or Near Forests Increases Risk

In recent years, increased residential development has been occurring along the Wildland Urban Interface, where homes built in or near forests become susceptible to wildfire damage. These buildings are at great risk since wildfires often begin unnoticed and spread rapidly igniting brush, trees and buildings. North Carolina has the 4th most homes in the Wildland Urban Interface in the United States.

Resources