Phillips County Remains Only Arkansas County Under Active Outdoor Burn Ban
Phillips County stood alone Thursday as the only Arkansas county still under an outdoor burn ban, even as a week of rain pushed 80% of the state to low wildfire risk.
While a week of rainfall erased burn bans across nearly all of Arkansas, Phillips County in the state's far eastern corner held the distinction no county wants: the last active outdoor burn ban in the state, according to the Arkansas Division of Forestry's burn-ban map updated Thursday afternoon, March 12.
The map, which tracks both wildfire risk levels and county-level burn restrictions, showed widespread clearing after storms moved through the region. About 80% of Arkansas had returned to a Low wildfire risk by Thursday, and recent rainfall had eliminated elevated wildfire danger in all but roughly 15 counties concentrated in the north-central and northeastern parts of the state. Even among those counties, Phillips County was the only one still carrying an official burn ban.
The ban's reach is significant for anyone in Helena-West Helena and the surrounding area. A burn ban makes it illegal to burn anything outdoors, including limbs or trash, with the restriction remaining in place until local officials determine that sufficient rainfall has reduced fire risk.
The statewide clearing accelerated earlier in the week. Clark County, in southwestern Arkansas, had its burn ban lifted Monday morning, March 9, after showers and thunderstorms swept through that region. The progression from Clark County's relief on Monday to the near-total statewide clearing by Thursday afternoon illustrates how quickly the recent rainfall reshaped the fire danger picture across Arkansas.
Phillips County's continued restriction suggests the county received less rainfall than its counterparts, or that local soil and vegetation conditions have not yet met the threshold required for officials to declare the fire risk sufficiently reduced. The Arkansas Division of Forestry has not publicly released county-specific rainfall metrics or the precise criteria applied to Phillips County's situation.
Until those conditions are met, any outdoor burning in Phillips County remains prohibited.
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