At least three Golden Triangle residents have received misdemeanor citations for violating the nearly-statewide burn ban since it went into effect around mid-October.
Officials in Clay and Oktibbeha counties say local agencies will continue to enforce the decree as long as drought conditions remain.
Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan said one ticket was issued in Oktibbeha County in the last two weeks, and another incident was under investigation Wednesday but had not yet resulted in a citation. Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said his department has written two or three citations since Gov. Phil Bryant ordered a 52-county burn ban on Oct. 11. Scott said he didn’t have an exact number of citations when contacted.
Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Paul Greggs said he was unaware of any citations written in his jurisdiction, and Oktibbeha County Chief Deputy Chadd Garnett was unavailable to confirm Rosenhan’s report.
Currently, 78 of Mississippi’s 82 counties, including all of the Golden Triangle area, remain under a burn ban after a lack of rain plunged most of the state into a severe drought earlier this fall.
Only four of the state’s southernmost areas — Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Wilkinson counties — are not covered under the governor’s order and other orders issued at the local level.
Violating the burn ban is a misdemeanor. Any person who willfully breaks the law may be fined up to $500 and no less than $100.
Additionally, anyone that starts a fire is responsible for it and the smoke it generates. If a fire burns or damages the land or property of another person, the person who started the fire is liable for those damages.
“We’re not a punitive organization, but a burn ban is just that. Right now, it’s just illegal to burn because of the conditions,” Rosenhan said.
Since Sept. 1, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has responded to 946 wildfires that burned 8,467 acres and threatened 58 structures.
The commission’s website states that 58 structures have been damaged or destroyed.
Locally, Rosenhan said Oktibbeha County volunteer firefighters have responded to a number of grass and woodland fires since the burn ban was implemented, but no serious loss of property or life has been reported.
Burn bans explicitly prohibit most outdoor fires — campfires, bonfires, fire rings, burn barrels, debris burning, field burning and fireworks — that produce embers capable of being carried off by wind.
Gas and charcoal grilling is allowed under the burn ban, but residents should always monitor their fires and follow the instructions provided by the grill’s manufacturer. Grillers should always douse used charcoal in water before disposing of them in metal containers, and residual ash should be cold to the touch before disposal.
“Don’t do any outdoor burning right now — wait until burn bans are lifted and drought conditions improve. A small spark can become a large wildfire when conditions are dry and windy, as they will be this weekend,” said Mississippi Forestry Commission Assistant State Forester Russell Bozeman in a release. “One less spark could mean one less wildfire. No campfire is worth putting people’s lives at risk.”
Drought conditions are expected to last through winter.
For a complete list of burn bans, visit www.mfc.ms.gov/burn-bans. To report a wildfire, dial 911.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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