Sabine Parish, La., resident Aswanya Law got a call at work from her daughter that a wildfire was rolling toward her home. She didn’t believe it. Law, who lost her home this month to one of the hundreds of wildfires that have burned across Louisiana amid summer’s persistent drought.
Like many in Louisiana, Law had seen images of large wildfires in faraway places like Colorado, but couldn’t imagine it playing out in her rainy, swampy state.
Over the past three weeks, wildfires have burned more than 20,000 acres in Louisiana that adds up to more land burned in less than 30 days compared to 2022, and six times as much as 2020.
Louisiana averages about 770 wildfires per year, but August alone has already produced almost 400.
An evacuation was called for Merryville, La., this week. Dozens of homes burned, firefighters have been injured and at least one person died.
While this year is bad, consider it “a sneak peek” of what’s to come, said Barry Keim, a Louisiana state climatologist. Climate change is turning one of the country’s wettest states into a tinderbox," (NOLA.com 08/26/23) Wildfire explosion offers 'sneak peak' of future challenges | Environment | nola.com
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