Lafayette County Firefighters Responding to Burn Ban Violations

By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Before the storms rolled in Sunday, Lafayette County firefighters were already busy on Saturday.

They weren’t necessarily just fighting fires but fighting resistance to the statewide burn ban issued last week by Gov. Tate Reeves at the request of the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

On Monday, Lafayette County Coordinator Wes Anderson said he had so far seen five reports of firefighters responding to various locations to discover illegal burning.

He said most claim they didn’t know there was a ban since there has been a good bit of rain.

However, the ban was not issued in fear of dry conditions sparking large wildfires.

The ban was issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has put a strain on firefighters and other first responders.

Fire departments, like many essential businesses, are also dealing with employees – or volunteers – who cannot come to work because of the pandemic.

“We had three volunteers who were possibly exposed,” Anderson said. “They couldn’t come back until they tested negative, which they all did.”

Anderson said the department is not allowing volunteer firefighters over the age of 60 or with underlying health issues to respond to fires.

A controlled burn can often get uncontrolled where the fire department has to respond to put out the fire. The smoke from burns, even if controlled, can also aggravate neighbors who may be at home recovering from COVID-19.

Under a statewide burn ban, outdoor burning of any kind is prohibited. There are no exemptions for agricultural or prescribed burns under this burn ban. Persons caught violating a burn ban can be fined, as well as be held responsible for any smoke or fire damage.

The fire department did respond to the illegal burns, they also spent a good time doing what they’re trained to do – fight fires.

Two fires near Highway 6 caused heavy smoke in the eastern part of Oxford. One of the fires happened around 6:30 p.m. off County Road 364, not far from the former estate of author John Grisham, now owned by the University of Mississippi. The fire burned about 2 acres and Mississippi Forestry Commission responded. The fire did not damage the UM property, according to Anderson.

Another fire across the highway started about 7:15 p.m. in someone’s yard.

On Sunday, firefighters worked late into the night helping to remove trees and power poles that had fallen during the high-wind storm.