LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If you enjoyed the rain that many of us saw over the weekend, there's some good and bad news— The good news is that the rain did help the drought that we've been in, but that didn't do nearly enough to get us out of it.
"So now we have the most acres burned in the state since 2012," Robert Murphy with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, said.
He works to manage the state's fire programs and wears a lot of hats while doing so. His most important work lately, has been his work with wildfires, especially with the weather we've recently seen.
"Top of the priority list right now," he said
Though this past weekend's rain did help some, it's just a start and he said we shouldn't expect anything to change anytime soon.
"I mean it helped, but it didn't alleviate the problem," Murphy explained.
It's been very tough to see, especially with how dangerous a rogue fire can be.
Murphy stated that just over 27,000 acres have been burned so far this year by fires.
Though some people thought they could see some relief from potential fires because of the colder weather, that won't be the case.
"If it gets cold enough to kill the grass then that grass just dries out and it's dead and dormant for the rest of the season," he said.
Murphy isn't the only one who's been looking for relief.
"I don't recall in the last eight years, us having this severe dry spell," Pulaski County Judge, Barry Hyde, said.
Hyde is the person who gives the final say on whether or not a burn ban happens in Pulaski County.
He explained that we're still in a ban, and will most likely be in one for a while, but there are ways to help the risk go down.
"The classic question is, as we were joking earlier, is always can I still grill?" Hyde said. "And I usually answer them well, if you're any good at it, it's okay keep going. If you're not then stop."
Pulaski County officials have banned bonfires, campfires, land clearing, vegetation clippings, brush and yard waste, trash and garbage, burn barrels, construction waste, fireworks, and any other combustible materials as part of the burn ban.
Those are steps you can take to mitigate the risk of a fire— but when it comes to getting out of this, all we can do is be patient and wait.
"There's nothing we can do," Murphy said. "I wish we could make it rain, but we haven't figured that one out yet."