DARROW – Despite the area being wet enough to no longer be considered a place with an “extreme drought,” dry conditions continued and fueled a rapid grass fire Thursday afternoon.

“Every volunteer fire department in [Ascension Parish is] out here,” St. Amant Fire Chief James LeBlanc said.

The fire was in a large grassy area along Hwy. 22 in Darrow.

The blaze, south of Pelican Point, had burned through acres of land.  In a video smoke and singed grass could be seen around the Word of Life Christian Center.  The area where the fire sparked was east of the Hwy. 22 intersection with Hwy. 44.

Drought conditions have been a problem in South Louisiana this year, Livingston Parish fire crews have dealt with large grass fires lately.

Thursday, the area was no longer under the extreme drought alert, though WBRZ Storm Station meteorologists noted the area was under a severe drought.  Rainfall accumulation has only reached about 11 inches when normally by now, the area would have recorded about 18.82 inches.

Click HERE to read more on the drought.

Stream WBRZ weather forecasts during newscasts here.