“We’ve had more damage with this one fire than we’ve ever had in this parish through this firehouse. We will come back. We will come back stronger.”
SABINE PARISH — What started as two quick fires quickly spread as the Sabine Parish wildfires leaving homes, hundreds of acres and vehicles down to ashes.
South Sabine Fire District Wards 1 & 2 Chief Doug Downs said as of 9pm on Monday, Aug. 14, the wildfires were contained but officials were continuing to monitor it.
“This is the worst woodfire. We’ve had more damage with this one fire than we’ve ever had in this parish through this firehouse,” said the chief. “We offer our condolences to everyone. From this community being as small as it, when one is hurting, everyone is hurting. Sometimes we wish we could have done more. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their homes today.”
It was around 2:30pm on Aug. 14 when the first fire broke out in the town of Florien in Sabine Parish. The calls went to the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office for a wood fire near Corleyville Rd. in the Mount Carmel community. About 15 minutes later, Chief Downs said they got the call for a second fire.
“From there, the wind and extremely dry conditions only made things worse for us,” said Chief Downs.
More than 1,500 acres burned, 10 occupied homes as well as eight unoccupied structures were all damaged in the fire. Thankfully, Chief Downs said as of now, no injuries have been reported and all people are accounted for at this time.
Evacuations were issued and remain in place through the night as firefighters ensure the fire does not start up again. People in the Plain View community are asked to stay at shelters or with family and friends. The area between Mount Carmel cutoff and Hwy. 118 also remains evacuated through the night.
Numerous neighboring agencies, firefighters and districts are assisting Sabine Parish officials with the wildfires. Plus, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is also helping Sabine Parish fire leaders with resource request processing.
“We want to thank all our neighbors departments and districts who have come out to help us and continue to help. From the bottom of my heart, I just want to say thank you that they were willing to help. It was a disaster but at the end of the day, we know who is in control. We will come back. We will come back strong,” he said.
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