Tishomingo County Burn Ban Enters Final Week, Ends Nov. 19

The Tishomingo County burn ban is entering its final scheduled week, and it remains fully in effect through a cold, dry weekend. The Mississippi Forestry Commission’s statewide list, updated Friday morning, Nov. 13, still shows the county’s ban running from Oct. 19 through Nov. 19. Under state rules, a burn ban expires at midnight on its listed end date, so outdoor burning stays off limits in Iuka, Burnsville, Belmont, Tishomingo, Golden and the rest of the county through next Thursday unless the ban is changed.

What the Tishomingo County burn ban covers

The Forestry Commission says a burn ban means no outdoor burning of any kind. Anything with an open flame that produces an ember is prohibited, because wind can carry embers and start spot fires as far as a half mile away. That includes:

• Campfires and bonfires
• Fire pits and fire rings
• Burn barrels
• Debris and leaf burning
• Field burning

Propane and gas grills, propane and gas heaters, and charcoal grills are still allowed when they are used as the manufacturer directs, kept away from anything that can burn, and never left unattended. The commission asks residents to let charcoal cool completely and douse it with water before putting it in a metal container.

Tishomingo County’s ban is listed with exemptions 1 and 4. On the commission’s key, those cover the Mississippi Forestry Commission itself and commercial contractors using heavy construction equipment whose burns meet Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality rules. No other outdoor burning is exempt.

Fines and enforcement

Burn bans are normally requested by a county’s board of supervisors and approved by the Forestry Commission. The local sheriff’s department enforces them. Under state law, anyone who knowingly and willfully violates a burn ban is guilty of a misdemeanor and can be fined at least $100 and up to $500.

Dry, cold weekend ahead

The timing matters because people tend to light fires when the temperature drops. The National Weather Service forecast for Iuka, issued early Friday afternoon, calls for sunny skies and no rain through at least Tuesday:

• Friday night: clear, low around 29
• Saturday: sunny, high near 53; low around 30 Saturday night
• Sunday: mostly sunny, high near 56; low around 32
• Monday: mostly sunny, high near 56; low around 31
• Tuesday: sunny, high near 61

Drought has eased but has not gone away. The U.S. Drought Monitor map dated Nov. 10 shows all of Tishomingo County in moderate drought. That is an improvement from late October, when the entire county was rated in severe drought, but it means grass, leaves and brush are still drier than normal for mid-November.

Neighboring counties

Tishomingo is one of 53 Mississippi counties on Friday’s burn ban list. Alcorn and Prentiss counties are not on it; Alcorn County’s own ban ended in October. To the south and west, Lee County’s ban runs through Dec. 1, and the bans in Pontotoc and Marshall counties run through Nov. 20.

Even where burning is legal, the Forestry Commission urges caution during the fall wildfire season. Residents who plan to burn after a ban ends should check the commission’s list first, since bans can be extended. As of Friday, no extension for Tishomingo County had been posted.

Related coverage: Tishomingo County burn ban runs through Nov. 19 and Corinth freeze forecast for the weekend.

Source: Mississippi Forestry Commission