Since the burn ban has been in place, Lafayette Parish firefighters have responded to over 20 complaints of residents burning trash, the department said

LAFAYETTE, La. (LFD)- Lafayette Fire Department is encouraging residents of the parish to adhere to the statewide burn ban placed by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal last week.

Marshal H. “Butch” Browning, in collaboration with Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, issued the cease and desist order on private burning Tuesday, March 24, 2020 to be effective Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

Fire departments are deploying resources to these unauthorized burnings when they could be used elsewhere, Lafayette Fire Department spokesman Alton Trahan said.

Although the State Fire Marshal’s order give local fire departments and governments discretion, Lafayette Consolidated Government’s ordinance prohibits the disposal of solid waste by burning in the city and unincorporated areas of the parish.

“We ask residents to dispose of the yard waste and bulky items at curbside,” Trahan said.