Burn ban in effect in parish

Monday afternoon, Parish President Kevin Davis signed an emergency order that prohibits any sort of burning in the parish for the next 10 days.

The continued lack of rain in the parish and the current heat wave has parish fire chiefs concerned about open fires in the parish, and they asked Davis for the burn ban.

“Our goal with this burn ban is not to cause inconvenience or issue citations, but to protect public safety,” said Fire Services Director John O’Neil.

The dry conditions have created a lot of fuel for fires, especially in the wooded unincorporated parts of the parish. Meteorologist Phil Grisby with the National Weather Service in Slidell said as of Tuesday, there has been no rain in the parish for the past 17 days. There is a massive high-pressure area of hot air over the Southeastern Louisiana that is keeping rain from occurring.

This is not the longest period the parish has gone without rain. In 2002, the parish had no rain for 46 days, but still the dry conditions are causing problems.

A trash fire two weeks ago got out of hand and came within 15 feet of houses in an Abita Springs subdivision, before firefighters were able to extinguish it. Fire District 3 Chief Chuck Flynn in Lacombe has said his men have had to fight small brush fires every day for the past two weeks.

“Luckily the fires have been contained,” said parish spokesperson Suzanne Parsons Stymiest. ““We are mostly concerned with burning debris,”

Besides the danger of a large brush fire endangering property and lives, Stymiest said that fighting all these small fires takes firefighters away from other emergencies like people having heart attacks and other medical situations.

“These small fires use up a lot of manpower,” Stymiest said.

The ban, which will be in effect until July 2 goes straight into the Fourth of July weekend and that brings up the potential hazard of fireworks.

However, Stymiest said the current ban does not include fireworks.

She said that at the end of 10 days, Davis and the fire chiefs would decide if the burn ban will be lifted or extended, and that depends on weather conditions.

“We are hoping for rain,” Stymiest said. “We want everyone to celebrate the Fourth.

Fourth of July organizers in Slidell, Mandeville and Covington are hoping for a break in the dry weather. Each of the municipalities has large Fourth of July activities planned that include fireworks. Fire Prevention Chief Neil Ricca with Fire District One said last week that they might have to look at a fireworks ban for the Fourth of July.

Slidell has it own permanent burn ban on the law books. Slidell police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said residents cannot burn trash or debris within city limits, and fireworks are banned.

For the rest of the week, the chance of rain doesn’t seem likely. Grisby said that there is a slight chance for precipitation, about 20 percent, on Friday and Saturday. Monday, the chances go up to 30 percent, because that large high-pressure area will start slowly moving to the west, but Grisby said that residents should not hold their breath.

“It is a very low probability,” he said.

O’Neil is urging all parish residents to cooperate.

“Please do not endanger yourselves or others or risk damage to your property by violating this ban,” he said in a prepared statement.

Not only does burning trash and debris right now endanger others, but also the violator will face stiff penalties.

O’Neil said anyone caught burning trash and debris during the burn ban can face up to 30 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.