BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- Dry conditions, seventeen million acres of timber and a lightning storm is the perfect recipe for a wildfire.
The state's Forest Service has been battling blazes caused by lightning over recent weeks. Regional Ranger, Jeffrey Currier, with the Forest Service said this is not an uncommon issue, but that does not make it easier.
"Lightning storms and the fires that are caused by them are kind of unique in the sense that sometimes they remain dormant sometimes up to 2 weeks," said Currier.
That was precisely the case in last week's Steuben wildfire. But in partnership with the United States Department of Interior, the Forest Service is using technology to stay a step ahead of mother nature.
"We actually have a lightning detection system we use," explained Currier "We can track storms. We can see where lightning bolts have come out of the sky and approximately where they've hit on the ground."
The program informs the department about the condition of the land struck by lightning and the level of danger it can cause.
District Ranger, Joe Mints, with the Forest Service department said it will be northern Maine that they will focus on as the storms pass. According to Mints, over the past couple weeks the area has received only one-tenth of an inch of rain.