The Mississippi Forestry Commission confirmed Thursday a burn ban is in place for Lafayette County after a lawmaker who represents the area publicly criticized the agency’s process.
Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford, sent a letter Wednesday to the commission questioning why it hadn’t issued a temporary burn ban for the county. In addition to little rainfall over the last month, Boyd said the county has had to handle 16 different fires since the beginning of August.
“I understand the stated reason is that Lafayette County has not experienced enough fire activity,” the state senator wrote to State Forester Russell Bozeman in a letter she posted to Facebook. “That rationale is backwards. A burn ban is a prevention tool, not a reward for waiting until enough fires have already occurred.”
Lafayette County Board President Brent Larson said the county initially requested the ban Wednesday morning, but was verbally denied by one of the state’s regional foresters.
“The normal course of action is, we approve it, I sign off on it, send it to (MFC), they sign off of it,” Larson told Mississippi Today. “They have never given us a problem, never.”
Larson claimed MFC denied the ban because the area hadn’t seen enough wildfires.
“We hadn’t had rain at all in a month, hardly, and you’ve got people out here we’re trying to protect,” he said. “I was mad, I mean I was disgusted and dumbfounded.”
MFC on Thursday told Mississippi Today that a ban had been put in place that morning after the agency received the necessary information from Lafayette County.
“Our goal is to work closely with local officials and make timely decisions based on the best information available to protect the public and our firefighters,” Bozeman said in an emailed statement, asking “all Mississippians” to use extra caution with outdoor burning.
“(MFC) shares Senator Boyd’s concerns about wildfire risk and public safety. The Commission’s initial determination was based on the information available to our wildfire professionals at the time. There is no predetermined number of fires required to approve a burn ban; rather, we evaluate the totality of available conditions, including drought, rainfall, fuel conditions, weather, fire activity, and other relevant factors.”
Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, speaks during the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council meeting at the Carroll Gartin Justice Building in Jackson, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.In addition to Lafayette, the commission on Thursday approved burn bans for eight other counties: Copiah, Rankin, Jefferson, Covington, Grenada, Lawrence, Franklin and Jefferson Davis. A county can request a ban, and then MFC approves the request, the agency’s website says.
A burn ban status prevents “anything with an open flame that produces an ember,” the agency defines, including campfires, bonfires, fire pits, fire rings, burn barrels, debris burning and field burning. Propane, gas and charcoal grills are allowed, as well as propane and gas heaters. Violators can receive fines from $100 to $500.
The Delta is seeing the worst of the ongoing drought, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Parts of Bolivar and Washington counties are seeing “exceptional drought” — the highest level on the monitor’s intensity scale — while parts of Sunflower, Leflore and Humphreys counties are having “extreme drought.” There are no active burn bans from the state in those counties.
It’s unclear when Lafayette County requested the burn ban or what initial response it received from MFC. The county’s Board of Supervisors President Brent Larson did not respond to calls for a clarification, and Fire Department Chief Wes Anderson declined to comment, citing “political things going on.”
The city of Oxford on Tuesday asked residents to conserve water during a “historically high summer demand” during the ongoing drought. The notice highlighted the strain caused by outdoor irrigation, which makes up over 50% of the city’s peak water consumption.
“We are relying on our community’s proactive cooperation to protect the City of Oxford water system,” the notice read, asking residents to cut back on watering times by 50%.
Below average rainfall for August, more drought expected
Most of Mississippi was under a heat advisory as of Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, which means the heat index for the area has surpassed 105°F. The past month has seen lower rainfall throughout the state when compared to an average August. Greenville, for instance, recorded just 0.44 inches of rain for the month, compared to the nearly 3 inches it usually sees that time of year.
“Earlier in the summer, we had a lot of low-level moisture, and a combination of that higher humidity and hot temperatures, that’s what’s pushing our heat indices well into the advisory and warning categories,” NWS Memphis meteorologist Corey Chaskelson said.
Chaskelson said the forecast for his office’s area, which covers north Mississippi, shows little chance of rain over the next week. The ongoing El Niño event, part of a global weather pattern, is resulting in drier and warmer conditions, although those are common for the region this time of year, he explained.
The Mississippi State Department of Health cautions residents to stay hydrated during extreme heat and to avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. For other tips, including signs of heat stroke, visit the MSDH or CDC website.
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