Cave Spring firefighters rushed down the winding two-lane Spout Springs Road to put out a brush fire Saturday — and they were not the only firefighters fighting the hot stuff among the trees.

Rome-Floyd County firefighters also put out a brush fire Saturday afternoon, on Wilkerson Road.

Counties in north and central Georgia were warned of high fire danger by the National Weather Service and, while there were only two fires in Floyd County this Saturday, officials said brush fires are a problem this time of year.

You can chalk up the busy fire season to two factors. While spring is on its way, the ground is dry and there’s still a lot dead vegetation, according to Rome-Floyd Battalion Chief Gene Proctor.

“It burns extremely fast,” Proctor said.

There has been a lot of rain this year. According to AccuWeather, 15.83 inches has fallen on Floyd County as of Jan. 1.

The average amount of rainfall for this time of year is just 12.44 inches.

But all that rain hasn’t saturated the ground, especially with all of the wind in the past few days.

“When the wind blows, it causes the dryness,” said Cave Spring Fire Chief Randy Lacey. “You have low humidity”

Pointing to some sagebrush near the fire on Spouts Spring Road, Lacey noted, “If a spark hits that right now, it would be gone.”

No one was injured in Saturday’s brush fires, and no structures were damaged.

Some of the outdoor fires that occurred this year were caused by controlled burns that got out of control; some were caused by people throwing out cigarettes; and one was caused when a mower caused a spark, according to Proctor.

Proctor said anyone who needs to burn something must get a burn permit through the Georgia Forestry Commission, either online at www.gatrees.org/online-permits or by calling 1-877-OK2-BURN. The GFC will not issue burn permits on windy days, he said.

May 1 starts the state’s annual burn ban that prohibits outdoor burning. It ends Sept. 30.