Firefighters still battling wildfire in Harrison County. Don’t start burns, marshal asks.

A wildfire burning near the Canal Road Exit of Interstate 10 sent clouds of smoke over much of Harrison County on Sunday and threatened homes.

Strong winds carried the smoke between downtown Gulfport and the Long Beach harbor and out over the Mississippi Sound into the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Weather Service tweeted Sunday that smoke was visible on satellite drifting toward the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Harrison County Fire Marshal Pat Sullivan said firefighters from multiple agencies were still battling the blaze Monday, but that it was mostly under control.

However, he said there could be flare-ups if winds pick up.

After 4 p.m., the Mississippi Department of Transportation warned drivers that smoke was reducing visibility on the interstate and law enforcement officers were on the scene directing traffic. MDOT advised drivers to take alternate routes if possible.

Conditions have been “perfect for all the reasons you don’t want them to be perfect,” he said, including high winds, low humidity and plenty of woods and brush to fuel the fire.

Firefighters first responded to the area on Friday evening and got the flames under control, Sullivan said. But it reignited Sunday.

“It was a very dangerous fire because it was moving fast and had a lot of fuel to keep it going,” he said.

At least two dozen people were asked to evacuate their homes, and the city of Long Beach closed 28th Street to traffic because it was in the fire’s possible path.

Officials are still trying to determine how many acres have burned, but Sullivan estimated it to be at least 200 acres which is considered a large fire for the Coast.

It had the potential to be a very serious fire, he said, but there were no injuries and no buildings burned.

Multiple agencies worked Sunday, including firefighters from the county, Gulfport, Long Beach, the Combat Readiness Training Center and the Seabee base.

“It turned out to be an 18-hour day,” Sullivan said. “They stayed on it, they did a great job.”

A burn ban had been in effect to protect air quality during the new coronavirus pandemic, but the state ban ended April 16.

The fire marshal said officials are trying to avoid a burn ban, and that anyone who needs to burn debris should keep a close watch on the fire and have the tools nearby to put it out if needed.

He also asked residents wait to start a burn until after it rains.

“I absolutely recommend that people don’t burn for the foreseeable future,” he said. “Wait til we get a couple of days of good rain and soaking rain.”

The National Weather Service in New Orleans forecasts the soonest rain to arrive Wednesday, which has an 80% chance of rain during the day.

This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 11:37 PM.