State fire marshal declares statewide burn ban

Published on Friday, June 26, 2009 8:33 AM CDT

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First St. Tammany Parish declared a burn ban, and now State Fire Marshal Butch Browning has declared a burn ban throughout the state.

In a statement released by Commissioner Mike Strain of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the ban has been declared because of the continuing lack of rain and high summer temperatures.

“Last month average rainfall for Louisiana hovered around 2 inches, and weeks of nearly 100-degree weather has escalated the danger for wildfires,” Strain said in the statement.

Rainfall at this time of the year usually ranges from 3 inches in northwest Louisiana to 11 inches here in our section of the state.

Earlier this week, St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis ordered a burn ban for the parish because of the danger of brushfires for the same reasons.

Strain said that with such dry conditions all over the state, a wildfire could quickly intensify and become difficult to contain. So far this month, Strain said his department has recorded 112 wildfires.

He said forestry fire crews in his department are ready to take action in the case of a wildfire, and that forestry surveillance airplanes are flying daily routes looking for smoke from wildfires.

If a fire is spotted, ground crews will rush in with bulldozers to plow fire lines and firebreaks to contain the fires.

Strain cautioned everybody to be especially careful with the Fourth of July weekend coming up.

“Many folks will be barbecuing outdoors,” Strain said. “I urge everyone to take proper precautions. Keep water and a fire extinguisher close by at all times.”

To report a wildfire, call 911.

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Comments

1 comment(s)

Trish wrote on Jun 26, 2009 9:52 PM:

" I really think the fireworks need to be banned this year totally. This past New Years there was a fire in the field behind our house from fire works. There was 3 homes at risk of burning due to that. I really think all those fireworks should not be lit this year. I love them but what about people loosing their homes for 100 bucks of firework fun. I really think it is not safe unless we have a good rain. I am really scared of another fire. We had 3 fires in that same field in 2 months. "

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