Forestry officials struggled Wednesday afternoon to contain the Mandeville wildfire that added another five acres to the 746 that began burning March 6.

“We had hot spots flare up in two different areas, so we put a couple of crews back in there,” said Kirk Casanova, district manager for the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. “It’s still inside the containment line, but the location has made it tough.”

According to Casanova, the new blaze is located near the headwaters of Cane Bayou, which splits off into multiple forks. While natural barriers like rivers and creeks sometimes help in containment, the fire reignited in an area between the forks, making it difficult for firefighters to access.

LDAF officials have been viewing the burned areas by plane every morning to assess the progress of containment. This aerial photograph shows portions of the smoldering Slidell fire, which consumed nearly 2,000 acres of timberland stretching north of the Slidell Airport up towards Talisheek. (Photo courtesy of Patrick Quigley, Gulf Coast Air Photo)

Damage has been estimated at over $3.5 million in both fires. The Louisiana Forestry Association is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who may have set either fire.

“We want to encourage anyone with any information whatsoever to call us,” said Roy St. Pierre Jr., an LDAF enforcement agent.

St. Pierre said his department has located what is believed to be the point of origin for both fires on nearby roads, one about 300 yards from the Bellaire subdivision in Slidell and another on a gravel lane off Louand Drive near the cemetery in Mandeville. While wildfire can sometimes start accidentally, he said, various factors are leading investigators to rule that out.

“Well, there’s been no lightening reported in the area for several weeks,” said St. Pierre. “Sometimes sparks are thrown by a train traveling on a railroad, but there aren’t any tracks through here, either.”

Investigators have been canvassing the area for more information. In addition to handling arson cases, St. Pierre said his department also works on cases involving the vandalizing of forestry equipment and timber theft.

Casanova and St. Pierre will most likely stay busy the next couple of months. This time of year tends to be very dry, and as March winds pick up, conditions are prime for wildfire.

The LDAF relies on either the public, local fire departments or aerial detection to notify them of a fire. The planes help officials pinpoint where to unload bulldozers, which are used to take fuel away from the fire by bulldozing the grassy underbrush down to the soil and create a fire line.

If winds are very high, the race to get ahead of the fire is conducted almost like a military operation.

“Sometimes we have to fight fire with fire, so we get on a road and set it with fire torches, and let it burn to the other fire,” said Casanova. “It’s extremely dangerous, and could trap firefighters between both blazes.”

Casanova said normally firefighters try to flank the blaze on both sides, and try to cut it off at the head, which is the direction in which it is moving. There’s a right and left flank, with multiple firefighting units, as well as several large bulldozers.

The recent St. Tammany blazes have stretched LDAF resources. In addition to Washington and St. Tammany parishes, Casanova’s district also covers Tangipahoa Parish, and teams were sent there to battle a 110-acre blaze early this week as well. He said he barely had enough resources to contain the multiple fires, and had to borrow personnel from District 10 in Livingston and St. Helena parishes.

Casanova said that in years past, timber companies had their own firefighting units, which partnered with LDAF when wildfires sprang up. Those have long since disbanded, however.

“We’re facing some possible budget cuts and that has me extremely concerned,” said Casanova. “It is very difficult when there are simultaneous fires this size, and there are more homes close to forest lands than there used to be, so the potential for damage is a lot greater.”

Anyone with any information regarding the wildfires is asked to call the LFA at (318) 443-2258, or the Baton Rouge office of the LDAF at (225) 952-8019. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for both offices.