Residents on Neale Oil Road were issued a mandatory evacuation order Wednesday morning as a wildfire in Merryville and Springer spread to the area.

Late Tuesday, the fire started between Merryville and Singer, eventually burning on both sides of La. 110. The thick and heavy smoke and smell from the fire reached as far as Jennings and Hathaway.

Casey Tingle, director of the GOHSEP, said during a press conference that the overnight flames reached heights as high as 300 feet.

At 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the fire was a half-mile away from the street. Scott Greenmun, head of the Beauregard Office of Emergency Preparedness, said during a news briefing that Neale Oil Road was an area of concern due to the tank battery sites and residential structures in the area.

According to Jay Willams, Beauregard District 1 Fire Chief, there have been no structural losses. He said roughly 10,000 to 12,000 acres have been affected.

The fire has been difficult to contain due to strong winds blowing in multiple directions and extreme drought conditions, he said. As of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the fire was 60 percent contained.

“Nothing is predictable about this fire. The danger still, is everywhere. This has affected and it will continue to affect everybody.”

Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford said the fire is “northerly tracked” and time is of the essence. While the winds exacerbated the fire, on Wednesday morning, they subsided.

“We’re kinda on a time crunch because right now, the winds are calm. Those gusts create fuel for the fire.”

Efforts are still in process, Greenmun said.

“We’re going to continue to monitor and work with each and every agency that is here on the ground. We’re continuously meeting, at least three times a day, trying to get a plan. Trying to figure out where this fire’s going.”

“This has been a parish-wide, state-wide operation, and I do feel it’s going as well as it can at this point,” Herford said.

He said he was in contact with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness throughout the night to request air assistance to drop water and fire retardant on the fire.

Two Blackhawk helicopters were dispatched from Pineville through the Louisiana National Guard to carry the water. Four fixed-wing aircrafts — two from Abilene Texas and two from Oklahoma — are bringing the fire retardant.

Todd Parker, Calcasieu Ward 6 Fire Chief, said the Forestry Service also provided two aircrafts for water drops, in addition to 12 dozers.

He said multiple departments, organizations and municipalities have worked together to contain and extinguish the fire.

“We worked in a coordinated effort to minimize any damage, locate homes that may be affected and make sure people were warned ahead of time.”

Greenmun said he does not foresee any further mandatory evacuations. Merryville was put under voluntary evacuation.

An emergency shelter for mandatory and volunteer evacuees was established at DeRidder Junior High School, facilitated by the Red Cross.

Merryville High School and Singer High School were closed due to the mandatory evacuation order and power infrastructure issues. A virtual school day has been scheduled for the students on Thursday.

Electrical power along La. 110 between Merryvile and Singer was cut off as a precaution by electrical suppliers. To mitigate heat-related health issues, a cooled shelter was set up at Singer Baptist Church.

Residents have been asked to reduce unnecessary water consumption and should expect reduced water pressure as water is diverted to be used for firefighting operations.

The start of the fire is still undetermined and under investigation.

“We will be using all resources to find out and continue to enforce the burn ban,” Williams said.

The combination of extreme drought conditions, low humidity, dry vegetation and winds have led to Red Flag Warning throughout Southwest Louisiana. Over 140 fires have happened in Beauregard since the burn ban went into effect, according to Herford.

“From a law enforcement standpoint, we are at a point where we have issued these notices and advisories and recommendations if we can catch somebody setting an intentional fire, there will be serious consequences. These firemen are working themselves past the point of exhaustion, and its not right for them to have to get out here every single day to deal with this … now is not the time to be burning.”