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Louisiana Statewide Burn Ban: The state of Louisiana has declared a statewide burn ban to include any open flame outdoors. The message from the State Fire Marshal’s Office is “don’t burn anything” until further notice. Citations and arrests ARE happening across this state in partnership with local and state law enforcement agencies.

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. Access to portions of the fire area is difficult. Fuel loads in these pine plantations are high. Heavy residual fuels because of Hurricane Laura in 2020 exist and contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Acreage: 31,342 acres Containment: 50%

Personnel and Equipment: 275 total personnel; 7 Helicopters, 13 Type-6 Engines, 2 Type-2 Tractor Plow Units, 20 Dozers, and 4 Ambulances. Additional support is being provided by the National Guard, Parish authorities, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal Team, Beauregard Sherriff’s office, and the Office of Emergency Preparedness. The National Guard is supporting with Black Hawk helicopters and 16 dozers and the fire response is using Large Air Tankers, Scoopers, and Air Attacks from Texas.

Operations: Yesterday’s operations reported fire activity near Shin Road. Ground crews, with support from helicopters, were able to ensure that there was no fire progression in this area. On the western perimeter of the fire, there was active burning interior, with no threat to containment in that area. Along the north, northeastern and eastern perimeters, crews and equipment continued to connect containment line as direct to the fire perimeter as possible, while improving lines for engines to access to begin mopping up interior heat. Night operations have shifted to a swing shift to put additional crews on the line during the afternoon when fire activity may increase.

Weather and Fire Behavior: A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. for hot, very dry conditions with wind gusts up to 25 mph. Temperatures will continue to be in the mid to high 90s, and humidity levels will drop into the teens, which is unheard of in Louisiana in August. Extreme and Exceptional drought conditions remain. Fuels remain critically dry and, combined with gusty winds, have the potential to produce extreme fire behavior.

Air Quality: There will be increasing smoke in localized areas of the fire due to hotter and drier weather. Expect some smoke on roads adjacent to the fire, especially in the Merryville area. If we have active fire behavior with fire progression, or new starts, there could be high levels of smoke for short durations in the vicinity of the fire. Winds will carry smoke toward the coast and could cause spikes of smoke to UNHEALTHY for SENSITIVE GROUPS levels in the Lake Charles area and the I-10 corridor. If you encounter smoke on roads, reduce speeds if visibility drops. Conditions can change at any time. If you see smoke and smell smoke, you are breathing smoke. For near time air quality information see EPA's Fire and Smoke Map: https://fire.airnow.gov/

Temporary Flight Restriction: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area; information is at Federal Aviation Administration website. This is necessary to protect aerial operations. If there are intrusions into the Temporary Flight Restrictions, we must ground all aircraft. 

Evacuations: Updates on evacuations and shelters can be found on the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/beauregardsheriff.