‘Flash drought’ extends burn ban

County officials concerned about number of violations.

Bastrop County commissioners have extended a ban on outdoor burning after a month of several brush fires and more than 20 documented violations.

“It is a serious thing, here in Bastrop County, to take the risk of burning under these conditions,” County Judge Paul Pape said at the commissioners court meeting last week. “We are pleading with the citizens of Bastrop County to follow this ban and not put themselves and their neighbors in danger.”

The ban, which the county first put in place in August, prohibits a person from igniting any combustible or vegetative material outside of an enclosure containing the flames or sparks, but does not apply to outdoor burns associated with weld- ing if the burning is unintentional or prescribed burns approved by the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management, according to the order.

In September alone, officials handed out 21 citations and three warnings for violating the order, county emergency management coordinator Mike Fisher told the commissioners at the meeting. Burn ban violations are Class C misdemeanors and carry up to a $500 fine.

Fisher said he plans to have his office ramp up efforts to inform the public of the ban and the dangers of violating it through county fire departments, social media and the county’s website.

“I have been in this business a long time, and we have had really good cooperation from the public in times past,” Fisher said. “Having 21 citations, that’s a signal to me that we’re not telling enough people that they shouldn’t be burning.”

After a spring that brought his- toric rainfall, Central Texas began experiencing what experts call a “flash drought.” The abrupt dry conditions left growing grass prone to sparking fires, said Tom Spencer, predictive services department head for the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Spencer, who has been working in his position for about 16 years, said the flash drought conditions are very rare. But fortunately, forecasts show the El Niño weather pattern is expected to bring more rainfall to the area toward the end of fall and early winter, he added.

“A real concern to us is the safety of the citizens and how quickly fires can start in these conditions,” Spencer said. “We would like folks to be very careful outdoors with anything that could accidentally start a fire.”

The burn ban extension will expire Nov. 9 unless the county’s commissioners court decides to extend the ban again.