News
52 of Mississippi's 82 counties now under burn bans
Map: Mississippi Forestry Commission
The burn ban map keeps growing: 52 of Mississippi's 82 counties are now under a ban in the latest statewide update, including Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Warren, Lee and Harrison.
While a ban is active in your county, outdoor burning that throws embers is off limits: no campfires or bonfires, no fire pits or burn barrels, and no burning debris or fields. Wind can lift embers half a mile from the original fire and start a new one somewhere else.
Gas and propane grills and heaters are still fine, and so are charcoal grills, as long as they are used the way the maker directs, kept clear of anything that can catch, and never walked away from. Dry leaves, pine needles and brush, low humidity and gusty winds are keeping the fire risk up, and a light shower does not necessarily change that in places still in drought.
County supervisors ask for these bans and the state forestry agency approves them. Each one runs until midnight on its listed end date, sheriffs handle enforcement, and knowingly breaking a ban is a misdemeanor that can bring a fine of $100 to $500.
Source: Mississippi Forestry Commission
Watch the reel on Facebook: Mississippi News Hub
