Brazoria County lifts burn ban following recent rainfall

Brazoria County on Aug. 29 ended the burn ban that was in effect for over two months.

County Judge Matt Sebesta gave the order to lift the ban, the county announced in a news release. The burn ban had been in effect since June 23.

The burn ban was initiated because the county’s Keetch-Byram Drought Index was 684, which was considered severe enough for there to be a high fire risk, according to the county. A KBDI between 600-800 is considered severe. The KBDI is used to track the dryness levels of soil and duff layers by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

With the recent rainfall, the average fire threshold had fallen below the 400 KBDI for five straight days, which allowed the ban to be lifted, according to the release.

The Brazoria County Office of Emergency Management is encouraging property owners with large brush and debris piles to take advantage of the lifted burn ban and remove it as the county enters the peak of hurricane season to decrease the chances of property damage in a high wind or tropical event, according to the release.