Mississippi’s partial statewide burn ban will be lifted this week after nearly three months of extreme drought conditions, according to Governor Tate Reeves.
Reeves released that the number of wildfire activity has decreased due to the amount of rainfall received in parts of the state over the last week, leading the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to request for the end of the burn ban.
The burn ban was enacted in a total of 70 counties in an effort to protect property and the lives of Mississippi residents during the drought period, which spanned from August 1 to November 14.
During that time, MFC wildland firefighters responded to 1,506 wildfire calls that burned approximately 21,919 acres throughout the state. In all, over 2,679 structures were saved from damage or destruction.
Despite plans to lift the partial state-level burn ban on Thursday, November 16, there are 27 counties that will remain under watch due to bans enacted by the respective boards of supervisors. Those counties will now have the option to either lift their burn ban, allow it to expire on the predetermined deadline, or extend the ban.
These counties include:
- Attala
- Calhoun
- Carroll
- Chickasaw
- Clay
- Grenada
- Humphreys
- Itawamba
- Kemper
- Lafayette
- Lee
- Lowndes
- Marshall
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Noxubee
- Oktibbeha
- Panola
- Pontotoc
- Sunflower
- Tallahatchie
- Tate
- Tishomingo
- Union
- Webster
- Winston
- Yalobusha
