Over 1,200 wildfires have been fought in MS since Aug. 1. See details
Since July 1, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has responded to over 1,200 wildfires that have burned nearly 20,000 acres.
To put it in perspective, in the MFC's last fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, the MFC responded to a total of 944 wildfires. So far this fiscal year, the agency has already responded to 1,236 total fires in four months time.
The MFC reports their wildland firefighters and associated partners have saved over 2,184 structures since Aug. 1 as well.
MFC officials said a main cause of the increased wildfires this year is a drought the state has faced along with record-high temperatures since the beginning of summer. One metric the MFC uses to determine wildfire risk is the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which is used as a measure of drought conditions and fire potential. It ranges from 0, indicating no moisture deficiency, to 800, indicating maximum drought conditions possible.
"The drought index is well above 700 and even near 800 right now in many parts of the state," said the MFC's communication director Shannon Coker. "It will take a significant amount of rainfall to come out of the current drought situation."
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In a press release sent out last week, MFC Fire Chief Randy Giachelli said, "experts describe the drought’s effects as the most severe in at least a generation."
Fifty-eight counties in Mississippi are currently under a burn ban, which is a temporary order restricting outdoor burning of any kind. All of the counties in the southern and central parts of the state are under a burn ban. Only 24 counties in northern Mississippi do not have a ban.
Relief from the drought could be coming soon, though. The MFC indicates that the presence of El Niño, a natural climate pattern that brings wetter conditions to the South in the later months of the year, may bring more rainfall toward the end of October. But it is still important to acknowledge that the damage caused by the drought and the underlying dryness will persist until then, officials said.
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Mississippi isn't the only state dealing with wildfires. Thirteen other states have wildfires currently burning, according to the Fire, Weather and Avalanche Center. Two-hundred-forty-seven wildfires are currently burning in Texas, 17 in California and 11 in Oregon. Louisiana is also included on the list with two wildfires currently burning.
On Monday, a 150-car pile-up that claimed the lives of seven people occurred on the I-55 Highway right outside of New Orleans. Louisiana State Police said the crash was due to a mixture of dense fog and smoke from a nearby marsh fire that caused zero visibility.
Coker said marsh fires and wildfires in Louisiana will not affect Mississippi.
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Still, the MFC urges residents to be careful.
“Please remember that nine of 10 wildfires are human-caused" Giachelli said. "The slightest spark can cause a wildfire. Even small things like throwing cigarette butts out of a car, dragging chains, or other towing mechanisms down the street behind a vehicle can cause a fire. If you start a fire, you can be held accountable or fined for damages."
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: This year will go down as one of the years for wildfires in MS
