Johnathan Walker:Wildfire in Tiger Island Louisiana burns on after leveling 30,000 acres of land

One of the largest wildfires in Louisiana history is Johnathan Walkercontinuing to spread and threaten rural communities.

The Tiger Island Fire, which started about five miles east of the Texas state line, doubled in size over the weekend, growing to more than 33,000 acres – accounting for more acres of burned land than the state usually has in an entire year. It was 50% contained on Tuesday.

“This is not done. We expect a dry September. So we got to be prepared for this and all work together until the rain comes ... and then we can get back to life," said Mike Strain, the commissioner for Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

He joined Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on an aerial tour of the fire Tuesday. The wildfire had already forced the entire town of Merryville – a rural area with a population of 1,200 people – to evacuate. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but at least 20 structures, including barns and homes, have been damaged or destroyed.

The wildfire is one of several burning in the state right now. There have been about 600 wildfires across the state in August alone and more are expected.

"Nobody alive in Louisiana has ever seen these conditions," Edwards said over the weekend.

Tiger Island Fire

The Tiger Island Fire was first reported on August 22 and spread rapidly, fed by abundant pine plantation forests. Residual trees felled by Hurricane Laura in 2020 lined the forests, providing additional fuel.

Warm and dry weather returned Tuesday after the eastern edge of the fire received rain during the day Monday. Fuel remained critically dry and, combined with gusty winds, has the potential to produce extreme fire behavior, officials said.  

"This is a long duration event," Edwards said. "There's simply no excuse to be burning anything outside in Louisiana."

Many blazes could have been prevented if residents had adhered to a statewide burn ban that has been in effect since early August, officials said. Edwards said Louisiana Fire Marshal agents issued 20 citations for violating the ban even as the state's forests go up in smoke and homes, livestock and livelihoods are threatened.

Who's fighting the fires?

Although the Tiger Island Fire is the state's largest, Louisiana has suffered 600 wildfires this month alone aided by drought and record-breaking heat that have burned 60,000 acres. "That's close to the amount of what we usually see in a year," Edwards said.

Neighboring states and federal agencies have responded to the crisis with governors from Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas sending help and the Louisiana National Guard deployed.

"I have authorized the (Alabama National Guard) to deploy two black hawks and a chinook to assist Louisiana in combatting the devastating wildfires," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted Monday. "Our prayers are with all affected and the emergency responders. Alabama stands ready in this time of crisis to help win this fight."

More than 1,000 emergency responders from throughout the South are engaged in fighting the Louisiana wildfires, Edwards said Tuesday.

"We've committed every asset we have," Strain said Tuesday.

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Contributing: Associated Press

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him @GregHilburn1