Louisiana Battles Hundred Wildfire In A Month, Mandatory Evacuation Issued In The State

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Louisiana battles hundred wildfires fueled by unpredictable winds, continued high heat, and ultra-dry weather.

There have been 441 wildfires in the state in the month of August alone.

The Tiger Island Fire in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana's largest fire, has already burned an estimated 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) - around 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) - accounting for more acres of burned land than the state typically has in a whole year.

"This is unprecedented. We've never had to fight this many fires simultaneously and at this duration. We're fighting between 25 and 30 (wildfires) today," Mike Strain, the commissioner for Louisiana's Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said in a press conference.

Mandatory evacuation issued

Mandatory evacuation orders for several Louisiana communities remained in effect as attempts to combat the wildfire.

The fire prompted the evacuation of 1,200 people of Merryville, a rural community near the Texas border.

A mandatory evacuation was also issued for areas east of Seth Cole Road north and south of Highway 190W through to Williams/Vigor Myers Road, Maul Road and Willie Hargrove Road.

There have been no reported casualties, but at least three residential houses have been torched, according to a post on social media by the Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office.

Seventeen parishes across the state have declared local states of emergency.

A statewide burn ban is also in effect and those who break the ban will face legal consequences.

According to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, a guy from Independence was recently charged with breaching the burn ban, which resulted in a brush fire.

It was reported that the fire began when the 41-year-old man was burning rubbish, and it quickly moved to an adjacent pine plantation owned by a local wood firm, destroying more than 170 acres.

The department also said that the fire was just 50% contained and "remains unpredictable due to wind conditions as well as dry conditions."

Pray for the rain

Governor John Bel Edwards is pleading with residents to pray for rain to combat the hundred wildfires in the state.

The governor stated that the ongoing heat wave in Louisiana has made firefighting extremely difficult and has exacerbated the severity of the drought conditions.

Firefighters are working in hot heat and using local water sources in a population that is used to flooding and hurricanes rather than drought and fire.

"I, like the vast majority of our state, believe in the power of prayer. Pray for our firefighters. Pray for the rain we need," Bel Edwards wrote on X, the company formerly known as Twitter. "And rest assured, we will do everything we can to continue to bring in every resource, from wherever we might find it, to win this fight."

I, like the vast majority of our state, believe in the power of prayer. Pray for our firefighters. Pray for the rain we need. And rest assured, we will do everything we can to continue to bring in every resource, from wherever we might find it, to win this fight. #lagov #lawx pic.twitter.com/00oBAJj5XO
— Gov. John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 27, 2023

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the deployment of 89 firefighters, paramedics, and emergency management workers, as well as emergency response resources, to Louisiana to assist in the fight against the deadly wildfires that are raging near the Texas-Louisiana border and across the Pelican State.