At least two people have died in the “unprecedented” wildfires that have ravaged Louisiana in recent weeks.
An elderly woman died Sunday after a brush fire spread to a barn in St. Tammany Parish, north of New Orleans, and earlier this month, a man died in Franklinton when his home and surrounding property caught fire.
The fires are just two of more than 450 wildfires that have burned thousands of acres in southwest Louisiana in recent weeks amid record-breaking temperatures and severe drought conditions.
“Wildfires of this magnitude and intensity have never happened before,” Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, told the Washington Post.
On average, the state deals with a total of 771 wildfires each year, or about twice a day, data from the department shows.
But over the past few weeks, the state has recorded an average of 21 forest fires per day, and a state of emergency has been declared in 17 different parishes.
More than 450 wildfires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Louisiana in recent weeks.AP
The state Department of Agriculture and Forestry recorded 14 separate wildfires that broke out in less than 10 minutes Sunday north and west of New Orleans. Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
“With this kind of heat, low humidity and lack of rain, this is probably the driest, most drought-prone conditions we’ve had in a generation,” Strain said.
Temperatures over the weekend broke all-time records in multiple communities across Louisiana, with New Orleans International Airport recording 105 degrees on Sunday — the highest temperature ever recorded there.
The Department of Agriculture and Forestry recorded 14 separate wildfires that broke out in less than 10 minutes Sunday north and west of New Orleans, as the Tiger Island fire in Beauregard Parish became the largest in state history.
It grew from 15,000 acres to more than 33,000 acres between Friday and Saturday and forced mandatory evacuations, state officials said.
Firefighters from Texas, Florida and Oklahoma were brought in to help with the massive fire. Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
More than 50,000 acres have burned in Beauregard Parish alone, from the Tiger Island fire and the Longville fire. Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
The massive fire is still only 50 percent contained, as the Louisiana National Guard and local firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. Crews have also been flown in from Texas, Florida and Oklahoma.
In total, the area that has burned in Beauregard Parish, from the Tiger Island fire and the Longville fire, has surpassed 50,000 acres.
“The fields are very dry, so the grass is really dry, and the bushes are really dry,” said Danielle Manning, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in New Orleans. “Everything gets easier when we’re in a drought like this.”
A state of emergency has been declared in 17 different parishes as firefighters battle the blaze.AP
Volunteer Christina Brumley (right) delivers snacks and cold drinks to Army National Guard members Brian Aucoin (center) and Jacob Cox.AP
According to the US Drought Monitor, nearly 77 percent of Louisiana is experiencing severe drought conditions – affecting approximately 4.2 million residents.
At the same time, the wildfire that scorched parts of Rapides Parish on Thursday was intentionally set, officials said.
The situation is now only expected to worsen, as scattered storms with cloud-to-land lightning and strong winds are predicted to fuel the fire and even change the direction of the fire’s spread, experts said.
Winds from Hurricane Idalia could also cause fires to continue to spread midweek, when relative humidity drops.
Little to no rain is expected in Louisiana from the storm.
“We’re in this fight for the long haul,” Strain said. “We expect this struggle to continue until we get significant rain.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
