NEW ORLEANS — Two fires continued to burn in New Orleans East on Wednesday.
The Bayou Sauvage fire started on Sunday and has ripped through more than 500 acres of marsh as of Wednesday. That's five times the size it was on Tuesday.
“Doing everything we can to get this thing extinguished," Pon Dixson with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services said.
The agency is using helicopters and keeping watch 24/7, Dixson said.
Dry conditions and wind are making it difficult, and Dixson could not estimate when the fire might be put out.
Dixson said the fire is not a threat to any homes due to the remote location.
“At nighttime, when the winds die down and everything, that smoke kind of falls down over the highways and presents a driving hazard. That’s going to be a primary concern," Dixson said.
Meanwhile, another fire in New Orleans East is threatening a neighborhood.
The Maple Ridge subdivision backs up to an underground fire that the New Orleans Fire Department was fighting on Wednesday.
NOFD Captain, Edwin Holmes, said crews were hauling more equipment into the wooded area.
“Underground fire may have been started by a lightning strike. The smoke and the fire itself has begun to encroach upon this Maple Ridge subdivision," Holmes said.
Residents that live in the subdivision said it's an ongoing issue.
“Fire been burning about a month, month and a half, and it’s contagious because I get short winded. I be out here working in it," Maple Ridge resident Larry Bowman said.
The Bayou Sauvage fire is also impacting air quality and was likely caused by lightning, Dixson said.
Dixson said the wildlife isn't in danger. In fact, fire crews captured video of a 9 to 10-foot alligator near the flood gates on Tuesday.
“This is probably the best thing that could ever happen to those guys," Dixson said.
NOFD said they will man the Maple Ridge subdivision from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Overnight, there will be water pumped into the area.
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