Lafayette County now under burn ban as dry weather continues

Published 2:10 pm Thursday, October 3, 2019

This upcoming Monday, the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors were going to consider a request to order a burn ban.

That request is no long needed after the action taken by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Wednesday.

As the hot, dry weather continues on in Mississippi, Bryant signed a statewide burn ban. The proclamation comes at the request of the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC). Bryant announced the ban via his Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.

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“Much of the state is is experiencing significant drought conditions,” MFC state forester Russell Bozeman said. “Almost half of Mississippi’s 82 counties have implemented burn bans due to the extremely dry conditions.”

Lafayette County was one of the remaining counties that had yet to implement the ban. Lafayette County fire coordinator Wes Anderson said he was going to speak to the Board of Supervisors during its Oct. 7 meeting about placing the county under one.

The board is expected to discuss Bryant’s statewide ban during its next meeting, but will not have to take any action as it pertains to a county ban. Bryant’s proclamation does not have an end date, and Anderson said the County could discuss implementing one of their own if he feels there is still a need for it once the statewide ban is lifted.

“Depending on when it lifts everywhere and depending on our situation, we may be asking for another one, locally, at that point,” Anderson told the EAGLE.

The rest of this week is expected to remain dry, but the National Weather Service is forecasting rain beginning overnight Saturday and through Monday. Sunday has a forecasted 50 percent chance of rain for Lafayette County, which then increases to 60 percent overnight. Monday is predicted to have a 30 percent chance of rain.

With rain in the forecast, it will not mean Lafayette County is going to be wet enough to lift a burn ban.

“It’s dry. It’s very dry and not a good time to be burning leaves,” Anderson said. “I assume (the rain) will be absorbed just as fast as it hits the ground.”