Even With Ban Lifted, When is it Safe to Burn?
Great question.
Some people think that since the burn ban is not in effect, that it is safe to burn. Wrong.
A burn ban is put into place by the Commissioner’s Court with input from local fire officials when several conditions come into play that make it extremely dangerous to burn at any time. The conditions that play into these decisions are drought, fuel, wind. Texas has had its share of droughts, which makes fuels dry and easily ignitable. In times of droughts, the larger fuels, such as bigger limbs and smaller trees become dryer and add to the spread of these fires.
Fuels are categorized by their diameter, but for this article, we will just say that smaller, fine fuels dry out quicker and regain moisture quicker than larger fuels. This is the reverse for larger fuels which take longer to dry out and longer to regain their moisture. What does this drought-fuel combination get us? More fuel that burns easier.
“During wintertime, why do I see brown grass when it just rained?” Good question. Once we experience a freeze, the fine fuels (grass) are what is called “cured”, meaning it will no longer retain its normal moisture.
Let’s talk about our last component that we should pay attention to: wind. As with everything else in Texas, our weather changes its mind a lot. It is a good idea to check the weather before you burn, to look at temperature and wind speed. In the mornings, the temperature is usually the lowest, the wind is usually the lightest and the humidity is usually the highest making it a more favorable time to burn. As the days goes on the temperature goes up, the humidity goes down and the wind tends to pick up and change direction.
“OK, so now all the conditions are right, so I can burn, right?” There is no simple answer. If we are in a burn ban, then it is illegal to burn according to the burn ban proclamation. If you burn, (whether or not there is a burn ban in place), you are liable for any damage your burn causes if it gets out of control.
Controlled burn checklist:
• Call the Sheriff’s Office at (979) 968-5856 and tell them you are having a controlled burn • Check the weather
• Clear vegetation at least 10 feet away
• Burn early in the day
• Someone should ALWAYS stay at the burn site
• If your fire gets out of control, call 911 IMMEDIATELY One last thing, all the fire departments in Fayette County are volunteer, which means that it will take longer for the firefighters to get to your fire and the larger the out-ofcontrol fire will be once they arrive. This causes many departments to have to mutual aid other departments for assistance. Plan your burn, stay safe.