Rains ease brush fire danger

The recent rains in Jeff Davis County have given the Hazlehurst/Jeff Davis County Fire Department a reprieve from the high volume of brush fires occurring during the first four months of 2026.
But more rain is needed before local firefighters can relax.
“It’s stopped the brush fires tremendously,” Fire Chief Charles Wasdin said of the rain this week. “The state’s burn ban is still in effect, though, and probably will be until the 22nd of May.”
“I don’t foresee the state stalling it (the ban),” Wasdin said. “So they may let it run out until the 22nd.”
Wasdin said the rain gauge at his home measured two and a half inches of rain over the last week. “But it’s still dry,” Wasdin said. “If you dig down a little bit, you’re going to find dry dirt.”
In the latest monthly report from the Jeff Davis Emergency Management Agency, 131 fire calls were made during April, with 80 of the calls being brush fires. Wasdin said the number of calls for April was up 133% over the number of calls in April of last year.
The call total includes, in addition to brush fires, structure fires, equipment fires, smoke investigations, assistance calls to the hospital heliport, etc.
May has been “relatively quiet,” Wasdin said, but fire personal are still locating people who are violating the burn ban.
“When people see someone burning, they call it in,” Wasdin said. “People are scared. If they see someone burning, they report it.”