Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking residents to pray for rain as more than 400 wildfires continue to burn across the Bayou State fueled by drought and extreme heat.
The excessive heat, extreme drought and low humidity levels of around 20% have contributed to dangerous fire conditions across Central and Southern Louisiana, where Fire Weather Warnings remain in place on Sunday.
Bel Edwards said in a Saturday news conference 441 different forest fires are burning in Louisiana, many burning out of control.
The governor said the ongoing heat wave baking Louisiana has made the firefight exceptionally difficult and increased the severity of the drought conditions.
“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.”
A statewide burn ban is in place until further notice. Those who violate the ban will face charges.
An Independence, Louisiana man was recently charged with violating the burn ban leading to a brush fire, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. According to a news release, the fire started when the 41-year-old man was burning trash, and the flames spread into a neighboring pine plantation owned by a local timber company, eventually consuming more than 170 acres.
Seventeen parishes throughout the state are under local states of emergency because of fires.
One of Louisiana’s larger fires, the Tiger Island Fire, continues burning near Merryville. The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office estimates that the fire has burned between 50,000 and 60,000 acres as of Sunday with 50% containment.
The Sheriff’s Office issued new evacuation orders late Saturday and moved an animal shelter from the Fair Grounds to Burton Colosseum in Lake Charles because of evacuations. The sheriff’s office estimates about 22 structures have been destroyed by the fire.
WHY FIREFIGHTERS ARE FIGHTING WILDFIRES WITH FIRE
A mandatory evacuation was 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. A shelter is available at the First Baptist Church on the east side of DeRidder, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We are strongly encouraging you to heed this evacuation order,” the sheriff’s office said.
All previously issued evacuation orders remain in place.
The Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office has been sharing videos showing the extreme conditions fire crews face to contain the Lions Camp Road Fire.
Mandatory evacuations are in place for Lions Camp Road and the surrounding areas, according to Louisiana State Police.
There is some good news in the forecast early this week. A cold front will bring showers and thunderstorms, across parts of the South and Southeast through Sunday, helping to relieve the heat. The front will drop temperatures from the triple-digits for Texas and Louisiana.
The FOX Forecast Center expects heat alerts for Louisiana to expire on Sunday evening.
Without substantial rain, the firefighting conditions across Louisiana will still be unfavorable. On Monday, a high of 96 degrees is forecast for New Orleans.