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Woods fire on Gum Swamp Road that burned over 200 acres in Livingston reignites causing road closure
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LIVINGSTON — A woods fire that originally sparked Sunday night on Gum Swamp Road near Highway 42 reignited Monday, erupting into several small fires and forcing the road to close.
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.
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.
The department also announced a red flag warning was in effect Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in several parishes across the state due to gusty winds, dry fuels and low relative humidity, conditions that allow fires to spread quickly.
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, it 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 overall, 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.
Firefighters with Livingston Parish Fire Protection District 7 are asking travelers to avoid the area and use alternate routes while crews continue working to monitor the area.
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