Montgomery County Resident Dies In Wildfire

JACKSON, Miss. – One wildfire-related fatality has been reported in Montgomery County. The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) would like to express our deepest condolences to those affected by the tragic incident.

On October 27, 2016, MFC wildland firefighters were called to suppress a wildfire.  It appears that a Private Landowner engaged in agricultural field burning while his county was under a burn ban. The burn ban was issued due to extreme drought conditions in the area. The fire escaped his control and became a wildfire, which started to spread quickly. During his efforts to suppress the wildfire, an event occurred which allowed the fire to overtake him. An investigation into the incident is ongoing at this time.

The Montgomery County Coroner says the name of the victim is not being released at this time until  a positive ID is confirmed.

This incident brings to light the importance of adhering to all burn bans statewide. In Mississippi, 67 out of 82 counties remain under burn bans. The Governor’s partial state level burn ban, which offers no exemptions, and all individual county burn bans remain in effect through the weekend.