Because of the recent rain across Williamson County, the burn ban that has been in effect for two weeks was lifted Tuesday morning.
Williamson County Judge Dan Gattis officially lifted the burn ban in Williamson County at the Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday. It had
been in effect since Jan. 23, when commissioners voted unanimously to temporarily prohibit the burning of household yard waste, such as leaves, grass, brush and other yard trimmings. Burning to clear land of trees, stumps, shrubbery and other natural vegetation was included in the ban.
Prior to the burn ban being enacted, freezes had allowed fire to spread more easily among the dead grasses in the county, Emergency Management Coordinator Jarred Thomas said at the Jan. 23 Commissioners Court meeting.
“It’s not about moisture at this point,” he said. “We’ve had such a hard freeze there’s really been no recovery period, and even some of the annual grasses I don’t see coming up like normally. Right now, it’s about the dead grass and the rapid rate of spread of fire.”
As conditions have improved since then, Gattis decided to lift the ban after two weeks.