SLIDELL, La. — The Deputy Chief of the Slidell Fire Department was sent to a local marsh fire near the 4600 block of Pontchartrain Drive on Friday morning.
The fire could be seen blazing along the section of road, also known as Highway 11, overnight.
Slidell resident Benjamin Farmer believes the fire began due to a firework shot between 9 to 9:15 p.m.
"The fire was started by people shooting fireworks," Farmer told WWL Louisiana. "We heard them, and a neighbor's wife saw them."
Farmer, along with friend and neighbor Perry Barras, quickly rushed into action after calling 911 at around 9:30 p.m.
"Thankfully the winds weren't that bad and were coming out of the east," explained Farmer. "Perry and I jumped into his boat and did what we had to do to protect our friend's house. It was only two of us.
"We used the outboard [motor] to spray the fire, then ran up and down at least a quarter mile down the channel causing sort of a wake as well to saturate what we could into the edge line, especially where the cane was, because we started seeing that catch and had 15- to 20-foot rolling and glowing embers all over the place."
Farmer said he and Barras fought off the fire for nearly two hours.
At 10 a.m., the SFD was en route to assess the damage and the danger posed by the fire and what could be done – if needed – to extinguish the blaze.
Shortly after, the fire department deployed a boat with a portable pump to extinguish areas of the fire within reach. However, the SFD said crews would not be able to extinguish the fire completely.
Officials told WWL Louisiana that no homes are in danger at the moment, and crews will continuously monitor the fire going forward.
While no traffic advisories for the area have been issued, motorists should take note of the activity and proceed with caution or utilize an alternative route.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated once further information becomes available.
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