Hundreds of wildfires are burning in Louisiana, destroying homes and tens of thousands of acres of land, officials said at a Wednesday press conference urging residents to abide by the state-wide burn ban.
Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency earlier in August because of the extreme heat and dangerously dry conditions, a combination that has allowed flames to erupt around Louisiana.
And it doesn’t look like the danger will be ending soon, said Casey Tingle, director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
“There doesn’t appear to be any guaranteed relief in sight when you look at the forecast,” Tingle said, “which means that these conditions may remain in place or possibly worsen over the next several days.”
The flames have already destroyed between 10,000 and 12,000 acres of land in Beauregard Parish, forcing evacuations, Tingle said. Some of the flames burned as high as 300 feet tall as first responders battled to contain them overnight Tuesday.
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Fires are burning in all parts of the state, and emergency operations officials were still getting calls for new fires Wednesday afternoon, Tingle said.
The governor activated the State Emergency Operations Center Wednesday morning in response to the spreading wildfires.
“Unfortunately, many of these fires could have been prevented if Louisianans were adhering to the statewide burn ban and practicing fire safety,” Gov. Edwards said in a press release. “We need everyone to do their part in order to prevent further fires with potentially tragic outcomes.”
A burn ban means not burning anything at all, said Felicia Cooper, deputy assistant secretary at the state Fire Marshal’s Office, in the Wednesday press conference.
Residents should be cautious while smoking, putting cigarette butts in fire safe containers, not throwing them out of cars, Cooper said.
Driving on dry grass can also be potentially dangerous. Officials cautioned drivers to avoid pulling over on dry grass if they have to stop on the side of the road for any reason.
Drivers should also make sure their vehicles are properly maintained, officials said. Brakes worn too thin can cause sparks, possibly lighting a fire. Safety chains can also cause sparks on the road.
Officials recommended drivers keep a fire extinguisher in their vehicles.
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Any outdoor activity involving lighting a fire should be avoided, including outdoor cooking, officials said.
Residents are used to heavy rainfall and hurricanes, but the wildfires pose a less familiar threat. Tingle said this is the worst stretch of wildfires he’s seen since he came to Louisiana in 2009.
“It’s somewhat unprecedented in recent memory for all of us,” he said.
Tingle said that though he’s not aware of fires impacting the Baton Rouge area, they could ignite anywhere.
“The threat is there for every part of the state,” Tingle said. “And so regardless of whether you live in a forest, or you live in the in the prairie, or you live here [in Baton Rouge] in a very urban area, any kind of spark can create a very dynamic and dangerous situation.”
