Louisiana battles historic wildfires: 50,000+ acres burned amid statewide ban ahead of Labor Day

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – State leaders said firefighters responded to more than 500 large fires across Louisiana this month, which is close to what the state would normally see for an entire year.

Over 1,200 people have boots on the ground and in the air as the statewide burn ban continues.

In a plea to the people, the governor is asking everyone to remain vigilant, with the return of football, tailgating, dove season, and Labor Day weekend right around the corner.

He said you might be tempted to barbeque, and though it’s not technically part of the burn ban, it’s best to avoid anything that might fuel flames.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Craig Burkett, Kenner Firefighter. “The fire didn’t care. It burned everything.”

Five Kenner firefighters return home after three days of assisting crews in western Louisiana.

“For wildfires, it’s not common in Louisiana to have them but we do assist, have the team that goes and helps out with hurricane responses, flooding, different events like that, we will, and then we help out local departments with mutual aid responses,” said Jason Dyer, Chief of Administration at the Kenner Fire Department.

At the request of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, five more were deployed to western Louisiana on Wednesday morning.

“You see parts that are just completely burned out. The bulldozers made roads. You see houses that used to be there. Aren’t anymore. Piles of trash,” Burkett said.

State officials said at least half a dozen homes in Beauregard were destroyed.

This comes as hundreds of hot spots wait for a gust of wind to flare back up.

“Something I thought I’d never see is the hole in the ground where the tree was. Stuff was burned out and there was just a hole that was burning. Flames were shooting out of it. And that was after it rained,” Burkett said.

To date, more than 50,000 acres, roughly 75 square miles of property, have been burned across the state.

“The overwhelming majority is forest land. And you have the Kisatchie National Forest and the Ida fire which is really the one that is least contained at the moment. And then the biggest fire is Tiger Island in Beauregard,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “At the end of the day we can’t make it rain, we can’t change the wind, the temperature, the relative humidity, but we can control what we do, and what we don’t do.”

State leaders said don’t let a little rain deceive you — dangerous drought conditions continue as does the statewide burn ban.

“We’re getting the wind, and we’re getting the lightning, but we’re not getting the moisture. And so, when you look at what we need, we need 3-4 inches of rain because the ground is dry the first 12 inches and it is literally a tinder box,” said Mike Strain, Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

While the state pumps a lot of resources into the western part of the state, in Houma, smoke creeps closer to people’s homes.

Meanwhile, officials extend their burn ban in Hancock County, Mississippi through September.

“The personnel that are fighting the wildfires like out in California, they have a whole different training. they actually have a whole different set of gear they use,” said Dyer. “So, for Louisiana who mainly does structural firefighting, and doesn’t have that, it’s a greater task to accomplish.”

Governor John Bel Edwards said the state’s wildfires require a lot of resources: 56 fire departments from across Louisiana, including volunteer firefighters, and a response from state and local law enforcement officers who are enforcing the burn ban, writing citations, and sometimes making arrests.

The National Guard said it has 452 service members supporting current operations including crews from 7 other states.

State leaders said food assistance is of concern in the impacted areas; you can dial 2-1-1 to learn more about meals, food pantries and other resources in your area. Specifically, those with SNAP benefits who might have gone without electricity for a long time and had to evacuate can request replacements.

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