Burn bans cover much of Mississippi until further notice

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Calhoun County is the latest county added to the burn ban list.

Burn bans have covered much of Mississippi due to harsh drought conditions.

The low humidity levels and lack of rainfall are putting many firefighters on edge.

“We’re not trying to tell people what they can and can’t do. It’s strictly a safety thing,” said Jonathan Blankenship, Chickasaw County Fire Coordinator.

Several counties in the WCBI viewing area are under a burn ban.

Any outdoor burning, unless controlled by the Mississippi Forestry Commission, is illegal during a burn ban.

Jonathan Blankenship said this is not the time to be reckless with fire.

“As dry as conditions are right now, even a cigarette being tossed away could start a fire, loose chains on a trailer, people driving down the road having things dragging from their vehicles, that’ll start a fire on the side of the road too. So anything with a spark right now could easily start a fire,” said Blankenship.

Fall usually marks the start of the burning season for farmers.

Crop growers burn fields to rid the area of pests and any diseases that could affect the next harvest.

Blakenship knows the restriction can be a nuisance to some, but it’s necessary.

“Farmers can’t burn their fields off right now, which I know that’s frustrating for some. A lot of people are trying to clean up but it’s just a safety issue. Any time somebody starts a fire, you’re liable for any damages that may occur to neighboring property,” said Blankenship.

Monroe County is another county to implement a burn ban.

Monroe County Supervisor Rubel West said he’d rather take preventive measures than reap the consequences of a fire ranging.

“We hadn’t had any rain, significant rain since back in July. And everything’s just parched and dry. We don’t like to put any restrictions on our citizens out there. That’s one thing that the whole board tries to work on…We don’t want to obstruct anybody from doing anything. But in this case, after talking to the state fire coordinator, we just felt like we needed to rule on the safe side and put a burn ban in place,” said West.

Burn bans are in place for Calhoun, Chickasaw Grenada, Lee, and Monroe Counties.

Please see the Mississippi Forestry Commission for all affected counties in the state.

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