Louisiana Burn Advisory Issued

It's been a dry winter and that's led to burn bans being issued here in Southwest Louisiana and now the State Fire Marshall has announced that it's a state-wide problem.

Here's the scoop

The State Fire Marshal's Office has issued a burn advisory for the entire state of Louisiana.

It's not a burn ban, but State Fire Marshall, Butch Browning is advising everyone to  use caution when lighting outdoor fires, due to dry and windy weather conditions across the state.

"Our state has experienced an excessive number of out of control brush fires directly related to the intentional burning of trash and debris," said State Fire Marshal Butch Browning in a news release.

"In addition to open-land damage, local fire officials have reported a number of structures damaged or destroyed in recent weeks as a result of small debris fires getting out of hand. Many of those structures contained valuable equipment which was also damaged or destroyed by fire," Browning added.

Here's something else to consider: If you start a fire and it gets out of control, even if you had no malicious intent, you can still face charges.

Anyone with information about suspected arson is urged to call the Fire Marshal's toll-free Arson Hotline at 1-866-946-1097, or you may submit an anonymous web tip online HERE.