Mississippi § 49-19-25 - Fires declared nuisances; abandoned open cisterns and wells declared nuisances; abatement.

§ 49-19-25. Fires declared nuisances; abandoned open cisterns and wells declared nuisances; abatement.

Any fire on any forested, cutover, brush lands or grass lands burning uncontrolled is hereby declared a public nuisance by reason of its menace to life and property. Any person, firm or corporation negligently or wilfully and maliciously responsible for the starting or the existence of such fire on land other than his own is hereby required to control or extinguish it immediately, and if said person, firm or corporation shall wilfully refuse, neglect or fail to do so, any organized fire suppression agency recognized by the Mississippi Forestry Commission, may summarily abate the nuisance thus constituted by controlling or extinguishing the fire. The cost of abating such nuisance, with all costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to be allowed by the court, may be recovered from the person, firm or corporation responsible for such nuisance by civil action in the proper court, action for said recovery to be filed by the agency abating the nuisance. This section shall not impair any remedy now allowed by law. Any open cistern or well, which has been abandoned or is no longer used for the purpose of a cistern or well is hereby declared to be a public nuisance by reason of its menace to life and property, and the Mississippi Forestry Commission is hereby authorized to seal such cistern or well upon request of the landowner. A reasonable fee shall be charged for this purpose and all fees collected shall be handled in the same manner as other service charges collected by the commissioner.