US Entire Louisiana town under mandatory evacuation because of wildfire

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An entire town in southwestern Louisiana is under mandatory evacuation orders because of a wildfire that state officials say is the largest they have ever seen.

Usually during this time of year, the Deep South state is addressing threats of imminent hurricanes, tropical storms and flooding. But this summer Louisiana has been plagued by record-breaking heat and extreme drought, which have made the wildfire risk unusually high. This month alone, there have been 441 wildfires in the state.

“This is unprecedented. We’ve never had to fight this many fires simultaneously and at this duration. We’re fighting between 25 and 30 (wildfires) today,” Mike Strain, the commissioner for Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said during a news conference

Friday.Louisiana’s largest blaze, the Tiger Island Fire in Beauregard Parish, has already burned an estimated 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) — approximately 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) — accounting for more acres of burned land than the state usually has in an entire year.

By Associated Press