Brazos County enacts burn ban amid 'high' fire dangers

Brazos County is under a burn ban following a unanimous vote during an emergency Commissioners Court meeting Feb. 24 to adopt a 60-day ban.

The order prohibits outdoor burning in the unincorporated area of Brazos County until April 25.

What you need to know

The burn ban takes effect immediately, and a person violates the ban by burning “any combustible material outside of an enclosure serving to contain all flames and/or sparks,” per the order.

However, several exemptions for burning are allowed, including:

• Welding may be allowed under certain guidelines, which include giving notice to the Brazos County Dispatch prior to any welding activity.
• Outdoor cooking or open flame devices are prohibited under the ban unless the cooking device is propane or natural gas and is fully enclosed, or the device is wood or charcoal and is fully enclosed and used in a cleared area with a 5-foot radius.

Second or flagrant violations of the order will be prosecuted as a misdemeanor, per the order.

The conditions

Jason Ware, emergency management coordinator for Brazos County, said prohibiting outdoor burning is necessary to proactively combat high fire dangers.

“Over the last couple weeks we’ve started watching ... wildfire activity in and around Brazos County,” he said. “What we’re concerned about now is the rest of the week into the weekend, we’ve got very high fire dangers coming in.”

He said all four fire chiefs in the county agree the forecasted fire danger is high over the next few days with periodic cool fronts bringing less humid conditions and minimal rain, paired with recent frozen vegetation that is now dry and a fire danger.

“The soil might have moisture in it, but what’s leading to these wildfires is the vegetation—namely grass—has freezed and cured. So we’ve got an abundance of fuel out there, and it doesn’t take much for wildfire to kick off,” Ware said during the meeting.

Ware said the U.S. Drought Monitor shows extremely dry conditions in Brazos County, especially on the county’s west side.

Remember this?

Amid drought conditions last fall, the Brazos County Commissioners Court issued a burn ban Oct. 14 and terminated the ban Dec. 1, according to county information.

What happens next?

The county judge is given authority to terminate the burn ban prior to April 25 if conditions improve.

Find the burn ban order here to read.