VIDALIA, La. &045; When a small brush fire jumped onto an abandoned house on Freeman Road Tuesday, it was the last straw.

&uot;I went to the police jury (Wednesday) morning to get that burn ban,&uot; Concordia Parish Fire Protection District No. 2 Chief Nolen Cothren said.

A rash of grass fires in the parish resulted in Concordia Parish Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington issuing a burn ban Wednesday for all unincorporated areas of the parish.

The house on Freeman Road roared into flames again Wednesday night, prompting firefighters from the Fire District No. 2 to head out again to put out the fire and prevent it from touching off a larger fire in the dry vegetation in the area.

No one was injured in the fire, which left little but the foundation and a few walls standing on the house, a large brick structure that has been vacant for years.

&uot;There won’t be much left of this place after tonight,&uot; Cothren said.

The burn ban, which took effect Wednesday, is designed to help prevent such fires.

&uot;It’s not a big deal, but it is a little dangerous out there right now. Any kind

of spark would create a fire,&uot; Ferrington said. &uot;An abandoned house here in the parish burned down yesterday by accident when someone was burning some brush.&uot;

Ferrington said he issued the no burn order on the recommendation of Cothren. The order includes land in the Monterey Fire District No. 1.

Because of a lack of significant rainfall in recent weeks, Concordia Parish is particularly susceptible to grass fires, Ferrington said.

The fire district has dealt with several small grass fires in recent days, Ferrington said.

The ban will be in effect only until conditions improve, but it will take some rain to do that, Ferrington said.

&uot;As soon as we get some rain we’ll lift this. Hopefully this hurricane will give us some,&uot; Ferrington said.

Similar bans have already been instituted in Catahoula and Tensas parishes recently, jury secretary Russell Wagoner said. A number of counties in south Mississippi have also put burn bans in effect.