The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors has issued a 30-day county-wide ban against any burning without prior approval and permits from the the Mississippi Department of Forestry.

The ban, discussed last week and asked for this week by Department of Emergency Services Danny Manley, follows on the heels of an exhaustive week for local volunteer firefighters who have had to respond to an increasingly large number of burns that have gotten out of control. “With the wind blowing like it is,” said Fire Marshall Albert Lee, “Give Danny and I 30 days so we can look at the ordinances and see what we can do.”

Anyone who burns without the approved permit can possibly be billed for the cost to fight the fire, plus any damages.