The recent wildfires in northern California have scorched more than 220,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 5,700 structures, including 22 of the area's wineries.  The fires have taken the lives of 41 people.  To make matters even more tragic, it is likely that the fires were deliberately set.  Authorities in Sonoma County, CA, have arrested a 29-year- old man who was seen leaving a creek bed where a fire was burning.

Couple the California crisis with recent burn bans in the Ark-La-Tex, it is understandable that local residents were concerned when a smoky haze filled the air on Tuesday in Shreveport/Bossier City.  We received numerous calls, emails, and Facebook messages at Townsquare Media from citizens wanting to know where the smoke was coming from.

The culprit?  A controlled burn in Bossier Parish.  A post on the Bossier Sheriff's Facebook page said, "A logging company has been clearing about 40 acres of land around the 500 block of Fullwood and burning the cleared piles. Fullwood runs off of Winfield Road about a mile west of Highway 157. The logging company has equipment on scene to manage the controlled burn."

The Bossier Sheriff's post also stated that Bossier Parish was not under a burn ban.  Today that has changed.  On Wednesday, the parish was added to the list of those with a burn ban in effect.  The bans prohibit outdoor burns and the use of fireworks or any device that could emit sparks or airborne embers. For a complete list of counties and parishes in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas that have declared burn bans, click here.

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