On September 12, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division agents responded to an arson event in Webster Parish.
Webster Parish Fire Department advised LDAF agents that four unnamed juveniles had allegedly stolen a flare gun from the local Walmart in Springhill, LA, and proceeded to shoot flares into a field behind the Walmart, starting fires in the area.
Read MoreInvestigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division arrested 32-year-old Michael Shawn Setliff of Flatwoods, Louisiana, on three counts of simple arson for fires set in Grant Parish.
Investigators allege that on September 13, 2023, Setliff set multiple wildfires off Highway 500 and on W.W. Melton Road.
Read MoreLouisiana's statewide burn ban has been extended for at least one more week as wildfires continue to burn and drought conditions worsen, Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain confirmed.
"We're still fighting fires," Strain said in an interview with USA Today Network. "The fire risk is so high right now it's sound judgement to extend the burn ban."
Read MoreWashington Parish Fire District 6 fought a fire on Lon Miley Road Monday afternoon. According to the district's Facebook page, units could see a large column of smoke coming from the area, and had dispatch page out mutual aid from other departments and Louisiana Forestry Department.
Read MoreThe Southern U.S. has faced a challenging summer with unrelenting daily temperatures above 100 degrees, abnormally low relative humidity, critically dry vegetative fuels ready to burn, wildfires exhibiting extreme fire behavior, and to top it off — a hurricane.
Hot summers and wildfires are not new to the South, nor is interagency cooperation in responding to and suppressing wildfires. But this summer has been far from normal, and in the case of Louisiana wildfires, this August — unprecedented.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Livestock Brand Commission will host its next saddle microchipping event on Friday, September 22, from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. It will be held at the Rustic Sky Horse Camp, located at 30 Squyres Lane in Melder, Louisiana.
Read MoreThe Louisiana official who leads the state’s wildfire fighting efforts says he will ask the legislature for more resources next year, including additional personnel and a tanker plane that can drop water on blazes. His pending request comes as emergency crews attempt to contain major fires in southwest Louisiana under persisting drought conditions.
Read MoreFor over a week now, multiple wildfires have devastated Vernon Parish. A large number of these fires are caused by natural or mechanical causes. However, wildfire investigators with the LDAF Forestry Enforcement Division have determined that the Lions Camp Fire – which threatened multiple residences and grew to 1,204 acres before it was contained – resulted from arson.
Read MoreLouisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Forestry enforcement agents were notified by the Natalbany Fire Department of a suspicious person threatening to set a large fire despite being aware of the current statewide burn ban.
Read MoreLouisiana has recorded an unprecedented amount of wildfires in August, forcing multiple southwestern towns to evacuate Thursday and state officials to implement a burn ban.
Read MoreOn August 24, 2023, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) forestry enforcement agents charged Ryan Miller of Independence with fire raising on the lands of another by criminal negligence and violation of the burn ban.
A fire on Hano Road, off Highway 16, was reported to 911 at approximately 3:49 p.m.
Read MoreThe Tiger Island wildfire in Beauregard Parish, which has been burning for almost a week, has burned about 33,000 acres as of Sunday, according to a statement from parish officials.
"This is the largest fire ever recorded in Louisiana," Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford said in a Sunday news briefing.
Read MoreIn the early morning hours of August 24, 2023, and throughout the day, multiple wildfires devastated the area near Union Hill in southwest Rapides Parish.
Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF) Forestry Enforcement Division were able to determine these wildfires were caused by arson.
Read MoreGov. John Bel Edwards said the fires and conditions in the state are unprecedented. He did a flyover of the area and spent a couple of hours with local responders in Singer Friday, near the Tiger Island wildfire.
The governor said the severe drought and fires have created a situation not seen for generations. He said just this month there have been 441 forest fires in Louisiana and more than 30,000 acres burned.
Read MoreDue to an increase in fire danger across Louisiana, the previous burn ban order issued August 7th has been rescinded and reissued with an update for all agricultural burns, including but not limited to prescribed burns, to be temporarily prohibited until further notice.
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