Video: Fighting Wild Fire

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss.(WCBI)—Every county in the WCBI viewing area in north Mississippi and west Alabama are under a burn ban with not exceptions.

Thousands of acres of land has been scorched by fire since our drought started, even one person in Montgomery County was killed in a wildfire.

Often times the Mississippi Forestry Commission is called in to save land and lives.

Mississippi Forestry Commission bulldozers are busy this fall.

“Things are dry real dry. Most of the state is under moderate to severe drought, and you know that’s one of our top priorities right now; is putting out these fires or containing these fires and protecting the public,”said Forestry Commission Bill Kitchings.

After 20 years with the state agency Bill Kitchings has seen his fair share of wildfires.

He says it seems there are more flames burning more land every year.

“Since September the first of this year we’ve responded to 732 wildfires, which have burned about 6,500 acres that’s just since September the first and we’ve see about 11 hundred structures that have been threaten and we’ve lost 38 structures, said Kitchings.

Minutes, even seconds count when arriving to a scene. Kitchings says that’s why partnerships with fire departments are important.

” We work closely with volunteer fire departments across the state. Its just a close knit partnership that we can work with the fire departments to put out these fires because when we get to the scene everybody has a job whether it’s protecting a house from the fire or going out there and plowing around the fire. Trying to get the fire put out,” said Kitchings.

Forestry commission workers prepare themselves for hot and long hours on the job because they want to extinguish any potential disaster.

“All of our employees they like out doors they like working in the out doors and being out here and most of our employees are serviced minded. They like giving back to the community and this is just one way that they see that. We not only work here we get to go all over the country a lot of times fighting fire. It gives us chances to give back not only here but other states during the summer when we’re not in our normal fire season,” said Kitchings.

Workers and firefighters are stretched thin right now, so they’re pleading with the public to help.

“It’s just too dangerous to do any out door burning. Just put it off don’t do any outside burning because you know your responsible for the fire and the smoke. Whatever damage from the smoke or the fire your responsible for. You could burn your property up your home up your neighbors home. So just be careful out their right now,”said Kitchings.
Kitchens says wildfire season in Mississippi is October through April…so we’re really just getting started.