Single Publication

Lafitte Fire Update

October 29, 2023

Fire Information Line – (504) 382-0291 2023.lafitte@firenet.gov
Fulton Jeansonne, Incident Commander effective October 28th

Size: 147 acres Containment: 52%  Total Personnel: 52  Location: 0.5 miles north of Jean Lafitte, 1.5 miles north of Barataria County: Jefferson  Start Date: October 17, 2023  Cause: Undetermined Fire 

Updates will be published every other day.

Jean Lafitte, LA - The Lafitte Fire continues to smolder in the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, but remains under control. There has been no growth of the fire perimeter in the last few days. Resources continue to arrive from across the country. The plan to fully extinguish the fire is underway. The fire, whose origin is still under investigation, was first reported on October 17th. It has burned 147 acres and is 52% contained.

This week- Firefighters continue fire suppression and containment this week. Fire officials considered flooding the area of the fire to extinguish numerous heat signatures identified during infrared flights. However, upon further review and in consultation with Ecologist Dr. Julie Whitbeck, decided against it. Dr. Whitbeck offered, "The combination of severe drought and extremely low Mississippi River flow means that local waterways – water sources for putting out this fire -- are as salty now as during a hurricane storm surge. To minimize harm to plants, animals and the environment in the freshwater wetland that is burning, the National Park Service decided to apply water only to the “hot spots”, instead of flooding the whole area with salty water, which would risk killing the plants and animals living there now and poisoning the soil such that this area would support only brackish marsh or open water for the next several years.” A significant percent of fire hoses have been deployed and are flowing fresh water on hot spots.

Next Week- Firefighters plan to finish deploying pumps, hoses, and sprinklers to increase overall containment. Fire crews will unearth pockets of heat smoldering in duff. Fresh water is being used on the spot fires. Don Robertson, Director of Fire Services for Jefferson Parish, remarked that he was, “satisfied with this revised approach of targeting hot spots.”

Weather- High pressure will dominate with persistent southeasterly and easterly light winds, which will continue to slowly increase the moisture over the area. Highs will remain in the 80s and this will lead to minimum humidity values well above 50%. Today will see only light winds that when combined with high humidity make dense fog a possibility in the morning. A cold front will come through the area later today, and dryer conditions will be in place behind the front.

Please help firefighters by following all local regulations. “If you fly, we can’t.” Unauthorized drone flights pose serious risks to firefighter and public safety and the effectiveness of wildfire suppression operations.

Lafitte Fire information link: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/lajep-lafitte

National Park Service information link: https://www.facebook.com/JeanLafitteNPS