A rare uncontrollable wildfire in Louisiana has forced nearly 1,000 residents to evacuate the town of Merryville in Beauregard parish, near the state’s border with Texas.
“Get out now!” the Beauregard parish sheriff’s office wrote on social media.
The Tiger Island fire started on Thursday in the nearby town of Pitkin and spread quickly. Efforts to extinguish the flames began with the deployment of air water tankers, but local firefighters have not been allowed in the fire area because of the dangerous conditions, according to officials.
The fire remains uncontrolled and “fire containment has decreased from 85% to 50% today due to constant shifting wind conditions and the dry conditions of the vegetation,” the sheriff’s office said on Friday morning.
It is the largest wildfire seen in the state in recent years.
At least one house was destroyed. Hundreds were left without power in the town of Singer, and residents there were asked to conserve water.
Buses were standing by at the town hall ready to transport residents. First Methodist church in DeRidder was established as a shelter for evacuees.
It has not yet been said exactly how the fire started, but the Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards urged residents to adhere to the statewide burn ban, which was put in place earlier in August in light of the exceptionally hot and dry conditions.
Bel Edwards said: “Any fire started by folks not adhering to the burn ban could quickly escalate, and even a small fire takes up firefighting resources that are needed to help fight large wildfires like the one in Beauregard parish. Do your part. Do not burn anything.”
The unusual wildfire event is another consequence of the record-breaking US heatwave fueled by the global climate crisis. Louisiana and the surrounding region has been suffering from an extreme drought. It also comes as residents are usually bracing for tropical storms and hurricane.
It also comes after a devastating wildfire on the island of Maui which razed most of the historic town of Lahaina and caused a death toll that stands at 115 but is expected to rise substantially. Wildfires have also raged across Canada, causing towns to be evacuated and spreading cloying smoke across North America.
As of Monday, Louisiana has seen over 357 wildfires that have destroyed thousands of acres of land and property, according to the governor’s office. The Tiger Island fire has burned through over 16,000 acres alone.
State fire marshal Daniel Wallis said: “Our heroes are hitting their limits so we are thankful to our neighboring states and federal partners for stepping up quickly with the resources our team is identifying and locating to keep up these valiant protection efforts. We are Louisiana firefighter proud.”
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