The Arkansas Forestry Commission said it will implement two controlled burns to remove fallen debris and thin underbrush Friday and in the coming week; an official also said Thursday that a dispatcher unaware of the county-wide burn ban in place since Feb. 27 took information on an intended burn from a caller in the Lafe area but did not tell the caller about the burn ban.

“It was an oversight on our part,” fire weather forecaster Scott Reid said. “Today we have been swamped with controlled burns [notification]. I’ve had at least 60 today.”

The Lafe-area burn was called in shortly before 11 a.m., he said.

On the commmission’s Web site, the burn is listed as a 60-acre backing fire .75 miles north of Lafe to take place between 11 a.m. and midnight Thursday.

The commission monitors but has no jurisdiction to enforce bans.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Department said it responded to “numerous field fires” Thursday but The Daily Press was unable to confirm whether the Lafe-area burn took place. Lafe Fire Chief Burt Lee said he was not aware of any fires in his jurisdiction Thursday.
 

CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE STORY