Entire Louisiana town evacuated amid 'unprecedented' wildfires
State authorities said they have never fought fires like this amid record-breaking heat and extreme drought that has troubled the area.
LEARN MOREPosted: 1:43 p.m. EDT Aug 30, 2023
The wildfires raging through Louisiana have now killed at least two people.
Hundreds of fires are still burning across the state as record high temperatures make the conditions even dryer.
In southwestern Louisiana, the wildfires rank among the most severe in the history of the state, scorching over 50,000 acres of land. Gov. John Bel Edwards called the wildfires the worst they've seen since World War II.
Small rainstorms this week have helped. But the largest fire, the 32,000-acre Tiger Island Wildfire, continues to burn in Beauregard Parish near the Texas border, as it’s only 50% contained at most.
This month alone, Louisiana has witnessed about 520 fires, amplified by triple-digit temperatures and the most severe drought ever documented in the state, according to the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal.
"I've never seen anything like this. Some of our teams were faced with, Saturday, a fire line that was 6 miles long, flames that were 300 feet tall. So, we asked the citizens of the state of Louisiana, when you do get that evacuation order, whether it'd be mandatory or voluntary, take it seriously," State Fire Marshal Dan Wallis said Wednesday. "There's a very good possibility you won't be able to outrun the flames; there's a very good possibility you may be trapped."
Authorities have stated that although the causes of the two fatalities are currently being investigated, they have identified the individuals involved.
One victim is an 84-year-old woman who died after being rescued from a brush fire in St. Tammany Parish. In Washington Parish, a body believed to be that of a 72-year-old man facing mobility challenges was found amid the charred remains of his home.
Officials said Wednesday that the state now has over 1,200 personnel fighting the fires and predict that at least 60,000 acres will be lost.
