The number of grass fires ravaging the county has decreased inthe last week, fire officials said, but they are still encouragingpeople to postpone any plans to burn debris.

“It’s been fairly light this last week, but we still urge thepublic to use extreme caution. If they can put off any outdoorburning, we ask that they do so,” said Dale Brown, information andsafety officer for the Mississippi Forestry Commission.

A light rain last week did not have a significant impact on theweather conditions that favor fire, he said, but did allow the MFCto begin issuing burn permits to industries and private forestersagain.

“We need a significant rainfall before I would feel comfortablewith burning any debris,” Brown said.

Humidity is a major factor. For the last few weeks it has beenvery low and provided no hindrance to fires, he said. Humidity hasclimbed slightly in the last week, but remains below the comfortzone.

“It’s still low enough that if a fire get in the light fuels,pine straw or grasses, with the wind it could still move veryrapidly,” Brown said.

Statewide last week, 256 fires were reported that burned 3,424acres. That finished out a month that saw 1,098 fires burn 21,139acres.

“The five-year average is 538 fires for 7,937 acres burned forthe month of March,” Brown said. “So, we’re still double the firesand triple the amount of acres burned above the average.”

In the Southwest District, 27 fires last week burned 444 acresin a month that saw totals of 192 fires for 4,223 acres burned.

What makes the situation so dangerous, Brown said, is that theapparent emergence of spring has people “lured into a false senseof security.”

“We are in a transition period and it looks deceptive outthere,” he said. “It looks like spring with everything blooming,but there is still a lot of winter kills out there to fuel afire.”

Add to that mix recent warm weather that tempts people to begintheir spring cleaning and trouble looms, Brown said.

“They’ve got energized to work in the yard or garden or clean upa fence row by the warm weather and the desire to be outside, butthere’s still a lot of fuel out there. When combined with lowhumidity, when even green grass will burn, and March winds, you canvery easily have a problem. The potential for an extreme wildfireis out there.”