JAY — Spring wildfires are fast and dangerous, Kent Nelson, a fire prevention specialist with the Maine Forest Service, said Wednesday.

There have been more than 20 wildfires around the state since late February, he said.

“Usually we don’t have this many until April,” he said.

This is the time people need to use caution as they are getting out into the yard raking and picking up brush and other debris to burn, he said.

The top layer of grass, dead and dry, is considered fire fuel.

At least four wildfires have been reported since Monday. On Tuesday, there were grass fires in Jay, Livermore Falls and Wilton. The day before one was reported behind the Oxford Hills Middle School in Paris.

The Jay fire was started by a spark from a torch used to cut metal. It came about 2 feet from a house but firefighters stopped it, Jay Assistant Fire Chief Mike Booker said.

The Livermore Falls fire was started by someone burning grass and it spread to the house, causing an estimated $1,000 to $2,000 damage, fire Chief Gerry Pineau said.

The latter was done without a permit and is under investigation by a forest ranger.

People need to get an open burning permit if they plan to burn grass or brush or any other materials allowed to be burned under state law. They can contact a town fire warden or apply online at www.maine.gov/doc/mfs.

“We respond to all the wildfires,” Nelson said.

When they get there sometimes the fires are out, but they still talk to fire officials on the scene and investigate what happened, he said.

Rangers enforce the state burning rules and regulations. If people don’t follow the rules they could face charges and some heavy fines and restitution, Nelson said.

“Now that we have these dry conditions, people should either wait until we have a steady rain or until after 5 p.m. to burn,” Nelson said.

The reason people should wait until after 5 p.m. to burn is that during earlier hours the temperature is rising, relative humidity drops and the wind picks up, he said. After 5, the winds start to die down, humidity increases and the temperatures drop, he said.

Plus, more firefighters are available in towns that have volunteer or on-call departments.

“The best thing to do is wait until a steady rain or if there is a way to take debris and transport it to a (transfer station) and let them chip it. That would be best,” Nelson said.

Wildfires behave differently than structure fires, he said.

Different tools are used to fight a wildfire.

The Forest Service and local fire departments work together, Nelson said.

The service has a couple of online videos that people can watch and information on how to prevent wildfires on the Forest Service website under the Wildland Urban Interface section (http://tinyurl.com/6myc52q).

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