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Louisiana Statewide Burn Ban: The state of Louisiana has declared a statewide burn ban to include any open flame outdoors. The message from the State Fire Marshal’s Office is “don’t burn anything” until further notice. Citations and arrests ARE happening across this state in partnership with local and state law enforcement agencies.

Personnel and Equipment:  

Tiger Island: 1 Type-1 Crew; 1 Type-2 Crew; 21 Type-6 Engines; 7 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units; 4 Water Tenders and 3 Ambulances.

Hwy 113: 1 Type-1 Crew; 15 Type-6 Engines; 5 Type-2 Tractor Plow Units; 6 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units; 1 Water Tenders and 4 Ambulances.

Lions Camp Road: 2 Type-6 Engines; 3 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units and 1 Ambulance

Elizabeth: 6 Type-6 Engines; 6 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units and 1 Ambulances

Air Resources Assigned to all Fires: 15 Helicopters and 2 Air Attacks

Additional support is being provided to all fires by Parish authorities and departments, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal Team, Sheriff’s offices, and the Offices of Emergency Preparedness.

Tiger Island Fire: The Tiger Island Fire was first reported on Tuesday, August 22nd. The fire is located East of Merryville, south of Hwy 190, SW of DeRidder and North of Singer. The fire is burning in pine plantations of multiple ages. Heavy residual fuels because of Hurricane Laura in 2020 exist and contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Operations: The Tiger Island Fire is currently 65% contained.  Yesterday, some rain fell across the western portion of the fire. Crews conducted mop up, patrol and used equipment to knock down berms that may be holding heat along dozer lines. Crews also cleared off firelines with accumulated needlecast. Today, crews will continue mopping up and seeking out hot spots along the firelines. Crews will continue knocking down debris berms that may be holding heat and monitoring for needlecast that has reburn potential.

Hwy 113 Fire: Located 14 miles northwest of Oakdale. This fire is burning in loblolly pines and hardwoods.

Operations:  The Hwy 113 fire is currently 63% contained. Yesterday, due to wet conditions from Monday’s rainfall, access with heavy equipment was limited in some portions of the fire. Crews continued to connect and improve dozer lines and utilized hand lines to connect lines in areas difficult to access with equipment. Today, crews will evaluate road conditions for equipment access, especially in the Tenmile Creek drainage area. Crews will continue mopping up and patrolling the fire lines.

Lions Camp Road: Five miles northwest of Leesville. This fire is burning in southern rough, timber and brush.

Operations: The Lions Camp Road Fire is 81% contained. Yesterday, crews continued to mop up and patrol, looking for hot spots and cleaning up fire lines. Today, crews will continue mopping up, patrolling and looking for hot spots along the entire fire perimeter.

Elizabeth: Located in southwest Rapides Parish. The fire is south of Ten Mile Road and northeast of state Louisiana Hwy 462.

Operations:  The Elizabeth Fire is 65% contained. Yesterday, crews continued mopping up and patrolling fire lines. Due to muddy road conditions equipment access was limited in certain portions of the fire area. Where crews were able to access, dozers established more direct line as close as possible to the fire perimeter. More direct lines will result in less unburned vegetation within the fire area and will provide crews better access for mopping up and patrolling. Today, crews will continue improving lines and connecting fire lines in the Tenmile Creek drainage.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Temperatures will be warmer and drier this afternoon compared to the past few days with temperatures in the upper 90’s and minimum humidity in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s. The heat index could reach 107 degrees today. Winds will be light and variable, with an occasional wind gust to 15 mph. There is only a slight chance of rain today. However, fuels in the area are still very dry and could burn until there is significantly more moisture. Heat scorched leaves and pine needles are falling and blanketing the ground, especially in Tiger Island Fire footprint, which could result in reburn.

Air Quality: Light smoke is only expected in the vicinity of large fuels that continue to smolder. Reburn could cause higher levels of smoke in localized areas. None of the communities in the area will be impacted by smoke from any of the fires. Expect to see only light smoke in the immediate vicinity of a fire or on interior roads. All monitor locations should see less smoke today due to low fire activity, light winds and high humidity. All communities should experience good air quality. For near time air quality information see EPA's Fire and Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the Tiger Island Fire and Hwy 113 and Elizabeth Fire areas. This is necessary to protect aerial operations. If you fly, we can’t. If there are drone intrusions into the Temporary Flight Restrictions, we must ground all aircraft. 

Evacuations: Updates on evacuations and shelters for the Tiger Island Fire can be found on the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/beauregardsheriff.