Wildfire destroys more than $1M worth of timber

NEWTON COUNTY and LAUDERDALE COUNTY — Officials estimate that a wildfire in Newton and Lauderdale counties destroyed more than $1 million in timber.

Investigators believe the fire started from a burning bag of trash and quickly spread to 50 acres or more.

The fire threatened about five houses, but officials were able to protect them. WLBT-TV reported that the blaze jumped at least four fire lines.

The fire comes at a time when much of Mississippi has been parched by unusually dry weather. More than a dozen Mississippi counties are under burn bans, though Newton County was not one of them when the blaze spread.