Jackson, Miss. – Effective December 2, 2016, Governor Phil Bryant signed a proclamation to lift the partial state level burn ban that has been in force since October 11, 2016.
The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) requested the Governor’s ban to be lifted due to the amount of precipitation received throughout the area covered by the partial state level burn ban. Also, the extended weather forecast predicted the continued probability of significant rainfall. Please continue to use care when engaging in outdoor burning activities. Check the weather forecast – do not burn on windy days, and find out if there is a burn ban in your area before doing any outdoor burning.
“We would like to commend our MFC employees, and thank local Volunteer Fire Departments, who have done an outstanding job during this dangerous time. MFC Wildland Firefighters have been working day and night suppressing 1,166 wildfires that burned 10,943 acres since the beginning of September,” said Charlie Morgan, State Forester. “Each one of them worked long hours to protect people’s lives, homes, and forestland.”
15 counties remain under current County Board of Supervisors burn bans (as of 3:15 p.m. on 12/2/16):
CALHOUN, CLAIBORNE, FRANKLIN, GEORGE, HINDS, JASPER, JEFFERSON, JEFFERSON DAVIS, KEMPER, LAFAYETTE, LAWRENCE, LINCOLN, SHARKEY, SIMPSON, STONE
For counties that are still under active burn bans, each County Board of Supervisors has the option to lift their burn ban or allow it to expire on the predetermined deadline. Burn ban paperwork is submitted by the County Board of Supervisors and approved by the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Burn ban updates are then posted on our website and announced through social media, visit www.mfc.ms.gov/burn-bans for up-to-date information. This list will be updated as individual County Board of Supervisors change the status of their burn bans.
To report a wildfire, dial 911 or call the Central Dispatch number for your area:
- Northwest Region: 1-877-226-5414
- Northeast Region: 1-800-681-8760
- Southwest Region: 1-888-823-3473
- South Central Region: 1-800-736-9115
- Southeast Region: 1-800-240-5161
