JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – After consulting with the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) lifted the partial statewide burn ban, effective November 16, 2023.

Due to the amount of rainfall received in parts of the state over the last week, the state has seen a decrease in wildfire activity. As a result of the rainfall, and the current weather forecast, the MFC requested for the burn ban to be lifted.

Despite the lifting of the partial state-level burn ban, there are 27 counties that will remain under burn bans, enacted by the respective Board of Supervisors, which include: Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Clay, Grenada, Humphreys, Itawamba, Kemper, Lafayette, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston and Yalobusha.

For the counties still under a burn ban, each Board of Supervisors will have the option to either lift their burn ban, allow it to expire on the predetermined deadline, or extend the ban. 

From August 1 to November 14, MFC crews responded to 1,506 wildfire calls that burned 21,919 acres throughout the state. They were able to help save more than 2,679 structures from damage or destruction.

Mississippians are encouraged to check to see if their county is still under a burn ban. Violators of burn bans can be held responsible for flame and smoke damage caused by a fire they set.