Who is affected?
Residents living within unincorporated areas of the county are prohibited from any outdoor burning until the order is lifted.
What you need to know
According to the burn ban order, enforcement for outdoor fires includes:
- Response from the fire department to extinguish the fire
- An investigation into the nature of the fire, which can result in a citation for violating the burn ban
- A fine of up to $500
Bastrop County's Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI, has climbed from 338 on Aug. 7 to 716 on Oct. 29, according to Water Data for Texas.
The KBDI scale ranges from 0-800, and the Texas A&M Forest Service website explains that any level above 400 indicates a high potential for wildfires with extreme intensity.
For reference, the KBDI on Sept. 4, 2011, the day the Bastrop County Complex Fire ignited, was 789.
What else?
Those with questions can reach out to James Altgelt, Bastrop County emergency management coordinator, at 512-581-4022.
A list of what residents can and cannot do while a burn ban is in place can be found on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website.
