All Hell Breaks Loose After Burn Ban Lifted, So It’s Quickly Back On

The Fayette County Commissioners Court held an emergency meeting Monday morning, March 16, to re-instate the burn ban.

The ban expired on March 8, and the Court met last Friday, March 13, to consider putting it back in place, which they ultimately decided against. But the vote was 4-1 with Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff voting against it. Berckenhoff said several of his constituents thought it was still too dry and windy, and they wanted the Court to put the burn ban back in place.

At Monday’s meeting, the Commissioners Court reversed course. Fayette County Emergency Management Coordinator Angela Hahn said local fire departments responded to five fires that had gotten out of control on Friday and another four to five over the weekend.

Early Monday morning, a tree fell on a power line in the Warda area and sparked a 25-acre wildfire that took two days to extinguish. However, County Judge Dan Mueller noted at Monday’s meeting that the Court’s decision on Friday had nothing to do with the Warda fire.

The new ban on outdoor burning will be in place for 90 days unless conditions improve and the Court decided to lift it before then. Anyone violating the ban faces a Class C misdemeanor and up to a $500 fine.