FERRIDAY — The Concordia Parish Police Jury has issued a burn ban for the parish effective Tuesday.

Jury President Jimmy Jernigan said he would lift the ban as soon as a good rain fell in the parish to eliminate the extremely dry conditions.

Jernigan said he spoke with Concordia Parish Fire District No. 2 Chief Nolan Cothren and the two agreed the conditions met the criteria.

“I didn’t realize it was so dry until we pulled a tanker up out of the ground recently and the dirt was as solid as a rock,” Cothren said. “It’s like concrete.”

Cothren said residents could cook on a grill as long as it is being monitored. Cothren said farmers could also burn agriculture fields as long as they were meeting regulations.

However, Cothren said no bonfires will be allowed in the parish, and residents will not be allowed to burn trash or fallen trees.

Cothren said if someone does burn trash and it spreads to someone else’s property, the fire starter could be summoned to court and be liable for the damage.

Cothren said Vidalia and Ferriday fire departments and mayor’s offices would make the decision on any burning in town limits. Cothren said Vidalia typically has a bonfire around Halloween.