Louisiana Burn Ban Continues Causing Firefighters Concern

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With the temperatures being as perfect as they’ve been the past couple of days, and the humidity actually being tolerable, it’s hard to believe there’s something that we have to be aware of right now.  But, as a matter of fact, it’s actually very serious.

Louisiana is experiencing a continuing burn ban in response to ongoing dry conditions, low humidity, and high winds, raising concerns among firefighters about a potential increase in wildfires. Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain noted that there have been 29 fires across the state in the past few days.

“And we’ve been having nine or ten fires per day.  So please be very, very, very careful.”

Fire departments have reported that local burn bans significantly increase the number of emergency calls, as residents often report any visible fire, even those not covered by the ban. Strain says if you’re doing prescribed burning to monitor wind speeds and follow all the guidelines for prescribed burning…

“Once you light that match, if you’re a prescribed burner, remember you can’t leave the scene.  Please don’t be burning any brush piles. Brush piles are not considered an agricultural burn.”

And there doesn’t seem to be any relief in the near future.  A check of Weather Channel website shows dry weather is expected to persist for our area with no rain even forecast until the end of the month,  leading firefighters to remain vigilant as they prepare for potential fire outbreaks. Strain reminds people that burning wooded areas is illegal…

“Don’t burn the woods thinking that you’re going to do that so there will be hunting and other things after that.  That is private property and those burns can cause a tremendous amount of damage.”

If you see a fire getting out of control, immediately call 9-1-1.