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A marsh fire broke out yesterday afternoon, alarming residents across our area as thick smoke filled the air.
According to Bayou Cane Fire Chief Ken Himel, local fire departments were quick to respond to the area and set up along the outskirts of the fire.
“The fire was burning in an area of the marsh where we often see fires,” explained Chief Himel. “It was burning in the area with the boundaries of Hwy. 90, Savanne Road, Hwy. 24, and Hwy. 311. Around 4pm, the fire began to approach the levee that runs from Hwy. 90 to Savanne, and we were able to start extinguishing flames. Closer to 9pm, we started setting burn back fires to push it back to the original fire. If there’s nothing left to burn, it just kind of burns itself out.”
The fire departments were able to stop suppression measures around midnight, but continued to patrol until around 3am to confirm the fires that were still burning were not traveling.
Overnight, conditions were better for extinguishing the fire, as the air was humid and damp.
“We plan to get a drone in the air with the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office within the hour to check on the area in the middle of the marsh,” shared Chief Himel. “We expect the fire will have burned itself out.”
At this time, the fire department cannot confirm what started the fire, but did note that it was unlikely that it was purposefully set due to the fire’s origins in the middle of the swamp.
“We do ask that you continue to stay vigilant and pay attention to the burn ban,” stated Chief Himel. “This is a total ban, and includes BBQ pits, fire pits, everything with a flame. I’ve never seen conditions this bad in our state.”
