Gov. Youngkin issues State of Emergency in response to the threat of wildfires

Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued a State of Emergency as the threat of wildfires continues to grow in the Commonwealth.

“This executive order will ensure that the Commonwealth has additional resources and is using every tool at its disposal to keep Virginians safe,” said Youngkin. “Thank you to our first responders who are doing everything they can to help contain these wildfires in the Commonwealth during this year’s fall fire season.”

[READ MORE: Local wildfire risk leads to burn bans in Southwest Virginia]

In this week alone, there have been a myriad of fires reported in our neck of the woods, including a wildfire in Patrick County that’s estimated to be about 500 acres in size and five separate brush fires in Montgomery County that have since been contained. The wildfire in Patrick County is in the Tuggles Gap area of the county and is 25% contained as of 6:55 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry’s website.

Last week, crews were busy at work battling a wildfire in the New River Valley near Parrott River Road, which burned nearly 500 acres and took roughly a week to contain.

Now, multiple burn bans have been put in place in a variety of localities across the state of Virginia as officials work to mitigate the issue and keep their communities safe. Here’s a look at current burn bans in effect as of Tuesday at 8 a.m.:

• Albemarle County

• Alleghany County, including Covington

• Floyd County

• Giles County

• Galax City

• Montgomery County

• Patrick County

• Rockbridge County

• Patrick County

Although there’s a statewide burn ban from February to April, there isn’t one in the fall. However, individual counties and cities can issue their own burn ban, as indicated above.

Until the burn bans are lifted, residents in the areas that were previously mentioned are prohibited from burning any items outside or disposing of any burning embers outside, including, but not limited to, leaves, garbage, shrubbery or campfires. Furthermore, residents should not discard or dispose of cigarettes, pipe tobacco, cigars, etc., without first ensuring that it is fully extinguished.

In addition to this, as a result of the potential threat of wildfires, Attorney General Jason Miyares has announced price gouging protections that are in effect. These anti-price gouging statutes strive to protect consumers from excessively high prices for necessities during an emergency event.

This comes in the midst of Gov. Glen Youngkin’s declaration of a state of emergency.

“The anti-price gouging laws in Virginia safeguard Virginians from exploitation by bad actors during a time of crisis,” said Miyares. “Any violations of Virginia’s Anti-Price Gouging Act will be thoroughly prosecuted by my office.”

Virginia’s Anti-Price Gouging Act, which was enacted in 2004, prohibits a supplier from charging exorbitant prices for “necessary goods and services” during the thirty-day period following a declared state of emergency.

According to the governor’s office, there have been 500 wildfires in Virginia so far this year, which is consistent with previous years.

We will continue to update this article as we learn more