A Good Chunk of Maine Could Ignite At Any Second

Maine weather

It doesn't take a genius to point out the weather in Maine has been on a pun-intended hot streak lately. With two heat waves in the last three weeks with barely any rain for relief, it almost feels like bone dry desert weather (with a side of extreme humidity.)

Those weather conditions combined bring not only a massive use of electricity through air conditioners but also a major reason that a good chunk of Maine could immediately catch on fire at a moment's notice -- dry, burnt lawns. And this scary reminder by a Mainer on Reddit is a good reminder to ensure you remain safe and smart during this brutal weather.

Maine drought

With a post titled "Be Careful with Fire!" Reddit user toolfanboi realized they had committed a massive mistake before disaster struck.

"I went out for a smoke, and without thinking, I flicked ash onto my lawn, which is completely dry and dead. 10 seconds later I realized what I did and got the hose. The grass in that spot was already starting to smolder."

That's how severe the drought in Maine is right now. It only took 10 seconds for grass to start smoldering just from ash being flicked on it. Which, as one Reddit commenter puts it, shows just how much of a "tinderbox" the state is. Channel 8 WMTW reports that most of Coastal Maine is in a severe drought.

According to Maine.gov, Maine is considered a "wet" state but can experience a drought every decade or so. And as if the conditions aren't dangerous enough considering how dry the ground is now, they'll get even riskier the later into summer and early into fall we get. That's when the threat of a forest fire becomes severely high.

Even though it took u/toolfanboi a second to realize the mistake of flicking ash onto their lawn or another grassy area nearby, it still shows exactly how important is to realize the conditions of your surroundings, as well as how easy it is to slip up.