Louisiana officials re-issued the statewide burn ban once again last week, however, modifications to the order allows individual parishes to opt out of the statewide order along with giving fire chiefs permission to grant burn permits.
LaSalle Parish Fire Chief Josh Corley said that LaSalle Parish will not opt out but will keep the burn ban in effect due to various reasons.
“Because some parts of the state have had significant rainfall events during the last week, the new order issued last Wednesday allows for individual parishes to opt out of the statewide burn ban,” Corley said. “However, even though LaSalle Parish has had an occasional rain event and some parts of the parish have recorded over an inch of rain, the majority of the parish has not seen that significant amount of rain.”
He noted because of the extremely dry conditions the parish experienced during June, July, August and September, it will take much rainfall to get conditions to a point where the hazard of a fire is no longer probable.
“We have seen what can happen when a forest or woods fire is spreading,” he said. “We have been out there fighting those fires and know first-hand how dangerous they are to property and life,” he said. “We (all fire chiefs) feel as though keeping the burn ban in place right now is the right thing to do for everyone’s safety.”
The new order also allows fire chiefs to grant permission for some burning. Those will be determined on an individual basis. The new order also allows for certain live fire training to resume with written permission from the State Fire Marshal.
The following is the official press release from the state regarding the order signed last Wednesday: Following consultation among the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM), Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security (GOHSEP) and the National Weather Service (NWS), the statewide burn ban re-issued on August 25th has been modified to renew and establish certain exceptions.
The active burn ban order in effect as of August 25, 2023, at 12 p.m., which prohibits all private burning, with no limitations, pursuant to authority under R.S. 40:1602, is being modified in the following ways: Provides for individual parishes to opt out of the statewide burn ban Provides for fire chiefs to resume granting burn permissions Provides for certain live fire training to resume with written permission from the SFM This modified order goes into effect Friday, September 29, 2023, at 5 p.m.
This modification coincides with updates to a separate burn ban order issued by LDAF prohibiting all agricultural burning including but not limited to prescribed burning. In that order modification, LDAF Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain provides for agricultural burning to resume except for standing sugar cane. Additional details about that modified burn ban will be provided by LDAF.
As a reminder, where the statewide burn ban remains in effect, the use of open flames in fire pits, campfires, barrels, bonfires, burn piles and like open burning is still prohibited. In addition, it is still recommended for outdoor cooking to be conducted with safety measures in place including using contained cooking equipment like grills and smokers, designed for cooking purposes only, on a flame-resistant surface with a water source or fire extinguisher nearby. It is also still recommended to avoid activities on or near dried grass where a spark from that activity, like smoking, mowing and/ or yard work, could cause a fire that could spread quickly.
The status of this burn ban order will continue to be reconsidered on a weekly basis.
