Burn ban in place for county “until further notice”

The county forestry service worked this blaze (pictured above) off of Rockport Road behind the Lexington airport on Wednesday, September 28 in part of the dry conditions and lack of rain in the recent weeks. (Photo submitted)

Staff Report
Do to extreme drought conditions for most of North Mississippi, the MS Forestry Commission has made a recommendation to the Holmes County Board of Supervisors to issue a burn ban for Holmes County. This ban will start October 6, 2016 and run “until further notice.”
Due to the exceptional drought and the Energy Release Component values above the 90th percentile the occurrence of wildfires has increased dramatically for Holmes County. Fires in our area can be expected to be very resistant to control efforts. Complete consumption of fuels, frequent torching and increased spotting can be expected. It is important that the public adhere to the burn ban. With the extreme dry conditions, the smallest of fires can turn into a major incident quickly causing damage to property and putting the public, our volunteer firefighters and wildland firefighters in harm’s way.
The Mississippi Forestry Commission will be conducting flights across our area, searching for any type of fire.
We urge the public that if they need to report a wildfire to either dial 911 or the Mississippi Forestry Commission Dispatch office at 1-877-226-5414.
Any person who knowingly and willfully violates a burning ban is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined not less than $100 and not more than $500.  Section 49-19-351 of MS Code of 1972, as amended.