LIVINGSTON — Crews worked to contain a woods fire near Highway 42 on Monday that reignited after crews got it under control on Sunday.

According to Livingston Parish fire officials, the fire was under control late Sunday night, with a few hot spots near the roadway still blowing smoke. Officials said the fire burned more than 200 acres before being extinguished.

However, due to the windy weather conditions, the fire previously extinguished along Gum Swamp Road erupted into several small fires on Monday. The fires prompted the road closure as crews with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry worked to regain control.

Fire crews and the Department of Forestry had created a fire line by carving out a line in the ground and removing flammable material like vegetation to contain the fire.

"Today is what we call a rekindle from yesterday. Somewhere it jumped the fire line and jumped the road today with the high winds, and it flared back up again," Livingston Parish Fire District 7 Chief Jerry Brook said.

Small fires were popping up, with much of the ground in the affected areas turning black from the fire.

"We're going to be monitoring it between us, and the forestry will be monitoring it tonight and tomorrow, and hopefully the winds will lay down, and it won't flare up again," Brook said.

The renewed flames come as large forest fires burned through parts of Lacombe on Sunday, forcing I-12 to shut down for at least three hours. According to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the fire along I-12 in St. Tammany Parish has since been contained, though crews remain onsite to monitor the area.

Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain urged residents to use extreme caution.

“Please don't light that match. Pay attention to the burn bans, which are in multiple parishes, but also pay attention to the National Weather Service. When there's a red flag warning, do not burn anything,” Strain said. “A significant number of these fires are caused because someone will light a brush pile and then leave it unattended, and even attended, with a 35-mile-an-hour wind, it will push forward.”

Strain pointed to the rapid spread of the St. Tammany Parish fire as an example of how dangerous conditions have been.

“What happened in St. Tammany Parish actually jumped the interstate. If you think about that width, that's more than a football field, and it was pushed by very high winds,” he said. “So please, everyone, exercise caution and don't light that match. We'll get through this together.”

He added that the weekend’s fire activity was significant compared to annual averages.

“If you look at the overall number, the number of fires we had over the weekend is about 6% of our yearly average. The amount of acreage that was lost was almost 10% of our yearly average,” Strain said.

To combat the flames, the department has mobilized specialized equipment and crews across the state.

“We mobilize our units, we have about 130 of those that are large bulldozers with special engines, special radiators, special cabs, special plows that are sent out on these large units,” Strain said. “At the same time, we’ll be monitoring fires from overhead. Our aerial division is working with our ground division to help them stay out of harm’s way and to help coordinate the fires.”

The Livingston fire was one of 34 wildfires that erupted across the state Sunday.

WBRZ learned that the area along Gum Swamp Rd. where the fires happened, is a popular spot for hunters.

One of those hunters, Bryson Martinez, says that this was not the first time a fire has happened in that area.

"It's probably the third time it's caught on fire. (The last time) It was last year, actually, right here on the same road," Martinez said.