BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — “In the month of August, we’ve had about 520 fires across Louisiana,” Gov. John Bel Edwards, (D) Louisiana said.
Edwards said in Wednesday’s press conference saying wildfire breakouts aren’t normal or safe.
“That’s getting close to the number of fires that we would see for an entire year. We still have a very severe drought in Louisiana and the little bit of precipitation that we’ve had, especially in southwest Louisiana, it’s gone now. So please don’t burn anything,” Edwards said.
The governor said about 75 square miles of properties have been damaged by the fires.
He said the statewide burn ban still is in effect and we all need to abide by it.
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services shares several tips to remember.
- No Grilling Allowed
- Secure Trailer Chains
- Avoid Parking on Dry Grass
- Throw away Cigarettes Properly
DCFS said if you’re impacted by fires and need food–call 211.
Labor Day is coming up–Edwards said if you’re doing a cookout–avoid lighting fires.
“It can happen so much faster than most people realize. That’s why people need to be ready and be paying attention,” Edwards said.
Authorities said if anyone is caught burning will pay the consequences.
