County and state officials were working Monday to contain what they described as one of the five largest wildfires in Mississippi history after the blaze burned 4,246 acres in Carroll County, county fire coordinator Jake Hurst said. Officials had the fire 70% contained, Hurst said, and reported no injuries or damage to structures.
The fire began last Wednesday, Hurst said, and as a precaution officials evacuated 10 homes Friday along County Roads 218, 360 and 163. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, Hurst said.
Hurst said recent tornadoes and an ice storm left dead trees, limbs and young pine trees that provided so much fuel the blaze gained momentum. “It was thick, highly fueled terrain,” he said. “The dryness, the low humidity, the wind, anything you needed for a perfect storm, per se, we had from Friday until yesterday (Sunday).”
Based on information from the Mississippi Forestry Commission, the wildfire is the largest ever in Carroll County and one of the top five largest in state history, Hurst said. The Mississippi Forestry Commission did not respond to calls Monday to confirm. Hurst, the only paid firefighter in the county, said 25 volunteers have worked on the response.
The county is working with the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, and groups including the Cajun Navy and the Red Cross are feeding first responders, Hurst said. He said the commission brings in bulldozers and plows to create “fire lanes” and uses a helicopter that drops 100 to 150 gallons of water on hotspots. The fire was 40% contained Saturday and had spread to about 3,000 acres, Gov. Tate Reeves said on social media.
