LOUISIANA, USA — From New Orleans East to down the Bayou in Terrebonne Parish, wildfires that have plagued Louisiana the last few months are out or under control. However, their impacts are lasting.
“If you look at the overall financial impact of a loss, to the timber industry is in excess of $71 million,” said Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain.
Strain says about 54,000 acres of land, mostly forest, were burned over the last few months.
Those acres are from fires his agency responded to. The loss is even greater when you factor in more localized fires.
“We had the driest year, really in our lifetime, probably in many generations,” said Strain. “What I think is incumbent upon us is that we have to prepare to move forward into next year.”
That’s why Strain will ask state lawmakers for $43 million dollars to prioritize personnel and better specialized equipment.
“The bottom line is that a lot of the equipment has been used very intensely in the last two years. A lot of that is wearing out and needs to be replaced,” said Strain.
Strain says wildfire season usually kicks up in late July which is what happened this year. That’s mostly because of how dry the state has been.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Louisiana is still in the highest drought category.
“August there was literally an explosion in the number of fires,” said Strain. “We fought 551 fires in August alone. My 10-year average is 771 fires per year.”
Strain says more than 10,000 structures were at risk of burning. Ten homes did. The biggest wildfires threatened towns of Merryville and DeRidder in Beauregard Parish, and the community of Pitkin in Vernon Parish.
“At the height of the fires we had over 1,200 firefighters from 26 states, as well as 400 national guardsmen and others engaged in the battle,” said Strain.
Without them and local fire crews, Strain says much more land would have been lost. For many local departments, like New Orleans’, there’s only so much that can be done without outside help and specialized equipment.
“As the New Orleans fire department, we are structural firefighters. Our firefighters are not trained in wildland firefighting,” said New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Roman Nelson.
That’s why the wetland fire in New Orleans East, which normal firetrucks couldn’t get to, burned for so long. Strain worries a changing, drier climate could lead to more fires in the future.
“If you look at the last three years, as the climate has become hotter and drier, there’s been a steady uptick in the number of fires we have to fight,” said Strain.
With the statewide burn ban lifted, state leaders still urge a lot of caution if you’re going to be burning anything outside. They say never leave a burning pile of debris unattended.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.