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This morning we welcome the Southern Area Blue Incident Management Team, who will begin managing these fires at 0700 tomorrow, September 10th. 

Louisiana Statewide Burn Ban:  As a reminder, the active State Fire Marshal’s Office’s burn ban order prohibiting ALL private burning, with no limitations, remains in effect. As does the corresponding burn ban from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry prohibiting all agricultural burning, including but not limited to prescribed burning. However, Louisiana residents can resume outdoor cooking with safety measures in place. See http://sfm.dps.louisiana.gov/doc/press/pr_2023-36.pdf for more information. The use of open flames in fire pits, campfires, barrels, bonfires, burn piles, and like open burning is still prohibited. Citations and arrests ARE happening across this state in partnership with local and state law enforcement agencies. 

Personnel and Equipment:  
Tiger Island: 1 Type-2 Crew; 20 Type-6 Engines; 1 Dozer; 1 Type-2 Tractor Plow Unit; 7 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units; 3 Water Tenders; 3 Ambulances. 
Hwy 113: 1 Type-1 Crew; 17 Type-6 Engines; 7 Type-2 Tractor Plow Units; 8 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units; 2 Water Tenders.
Lions Camp Road: 1 Type-6 Engine; 3 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units and 1 Ambulance.
Elizabeth: 7 Type-6 Engines; 6 Type-3 Tractor Plow Units; 1 Water Tender and 1 Ambulance.
Air Resources Assigned to all Fires: 5 Helicopters and 2 Air Attacks.
Additional support is being provided to all fires by Parish authorities and departments, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Sheriff’s offices, and the Offices of Emergency Preparedness. 

Tiger Island Fire: The Tiger Island Fire was first reported on Tuesday, August 22nd. The fire is located East of Merryville, south of Hwy 190, SW of DeRidder and North of Singer. The fire is burning in pine plantations of multiple ages. Heavy residual fuels because of Hurricane Laura in 2020 exist and contribute to extreme fire behavior. 

Operations: The Tiger Island Fire is currently 71% contained. Yesterday, high wind gusts promoted active fire behavior and interior reburn. Infrared (IR) imagery showed hotspots in the north end of the fire, so crews will target that area for mop up today. Mitigating needlecast on firelines continues to be a priority as interior reburn increases. Crews will continue to break up and expose heat within dozer berms and search for new hotspots from yesterday’s lighting strikes. 

Hwy 113 Fire: Located 14 miles northwest of Oakdale. This fire is burning in loblolly pines and hardwoods.

Operations:  The Hwy 113 fire is currently 63% contained. Yesterday, there was increased needlecast from the afternoon wind gusts, causing crews to focus on clearing firelines of pine needles. Rain showers have continued to make access to firelines difficult. Today, crews will focus on improving line and mopping up hotspots, especially using utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) to access the Tenmile Creek area on the north and south end of the fire area and will assess the creekbed for necessary repairs.

Lions Camp Road: Five miles northwest of Leesville. This fire is burning in southern rough, timber and brush.

Operations: The Lions Camp Road Fire is currently 83% contained. Yesterday, the afternoon winds led to increased fire activity and reburn within the fire interior. Today, crews will continue to mitigate needlecast and patrol firelines for hotspots to mop up. Crews will continue to work toward the goal of mopping up all heat within 100 feet of the fireline. 

Elizabeth: Located in southwest Rapides Parish. The fire is south of Ten Mile Road and northeast of state Louisiana Hwy 462.

Operations:  The Elizabeth Fire is 72% contained. Yesterday, crews continued mop up around the fireline. Needlecast is beginning to occur across the fire area. The Tenmile Creek bottom in the northwest corner of the fire area is holding the most heat, so crews will focus on mopping up that section with UTVs.

Weather and Fire Behavior: A cold front pushed through the area overnight, reducing heat from extreme levels to highs in the mid-90s. Relative humidity will remain higher throughout the day, dropping to the mid 40’s at the lowest. There is a 15-20% chance of storms this afternoon, and drier air will come in over the weekend, reducing relative humidities to 25-30% on Sunday. Vegetation moisture is still at critical levels, and needlecast across all four fires is adding to reburn potential. Dozer berms are still holding heat and will be a priority for mop up across all four fires. 

Air Quality: Increasing smoke today due to smoke from Canada wildfires moving as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. From local fires expect light smoke in the vicinity of large fuels that continue to smolder. New ignitions or reburn in areas where heavy needlecast is present could lead to additional smoke. Communities should experience moderate air quality today with periods of unhealthy for sensitive groups. For real time air quality information see EPA's Fire and Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/ 

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the Tiger Island Fire and Hwy 113 and Elizabeth Fire areas. This is necessary to protect aerial operations. If you fly, we can’t. If there are drone intrusions into the Temporary Flight Restrictions, we must ground all aircraft.