What you need to know
The ban on outdoor burning will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 16, Keough said. The county also has a year-round law that prevents the burning of household trash.
Additionally, commercial land-clearing operations utilizing air curtain incinerators must cease burning until inspected by the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office, according to the disaster declaration.
Some context
According to the Keetch-Byram Drought Index—a tool used to gauge forest fire danger on a scale of 0-800—Montgomery County’s average was 693 as of Oct. 14, with some portions of the county reaching 744. Keough cited these figures in his social media post announcing the disaster declaration.
Last year, Montgomery County issued a burn ban from Aug. 1-Sept. 18, according to prior reporting. In 2022, a burn ban was in effect in the county from July 5-Aug. 22, Community Impact previously reported.
Other local counties have also enacted burn bans, including Harris, Fort Bend, Waller and Liberty counties.
Also of note
Montgomery County is also included in Gov. Greg Abbott’s Oct. 14 state disaster declaration regarding the threat of wildfires.
