Louisiana burning this summer of 2023
Louisiana is experiencing the largest wildfires in the state's history and claiming the lives of two people. The state remains in a severe drought as Louisiana's largest wildfire ever continues to burn a week later.
The state is averaging more than twenty wildfires a day, forcing nearly one-third of the state's parishes to declare states of emergency. Reporter Aubri Luhsz, from New Orleans public radio station WWNO reported for National Public Radio [NPR], giving an update on the wildfire situation and that giant fire in Beauregard parish – still burning a week later. Luhsz reported, “it’s died down in recent days thanks to a little bit of rain, but it's still very much active and could flare back up again. All it takes is a gust of wind. Officials out there say they're really approaching this firefight from a long-term perspective. And that's because it's been so dry for so long that they say the state is essentially a tinderbox. And it's hard to put out a large fire like this without a significant amount of rain.”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards held a briefing on Wednesday [8/30], to keep everyone informed of all the efforts underway. Edwards asked Louisiana residents to make a small sacrifice, saying This weekend is Labor Day. We know that typically involves a lot of cookouts and barbeques, especially with the return of football. And with duck season opening, I am asking that people not engage in barbequing and so forth outside where fires can start. Let’s be patient. Let’s not create more work for firefighters across the state of Louisiana.”
The governor said a total of 50,000 acres have already burned statewide; and with so little rain and sometimes windy conditions, the threat of fire is always a consideration. Edwards also reminded people that the entire state remains under a burn ban. If caught, the penalty is 250 dollars. The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued another Red Flag Warning for critical to extreme fire weather conditions, which end for the day at 8 PM Thursday night.
