Fireworks display sparks a 3-acre brush fire

Spectators who gathered Friday evening at Second Baptist Church ended up getting more fire and brimstone than they expected after a fireworks display ignited a 3-acre brush fire.

“When fireworks go up, embers are going to come down,” Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said. “Because the (Cy-Fair) Fire Department was on scene, they were able to immediately get control of it, and were able to put it out very quickly.”

Despite recent bursts of rain, Harris County and the surrounding region has been hammered by a long drought that has left local fields and forests primed to burn, meteorologists and public safety experts warned.

“Grasses are very dry over parts of the area and will burn easily and fast,” county meteorologist Jeff Lindner tweeted after news of the brush fire surfaced. “Use extreme caution this weekend with any outdoor sparks or flames.”

Christensen said she was glad firefighters had been able to contain the blaze so quickly, but warned that first responders across Harris County will likely be busy responding to similar incidents over the next few days.

“We’re still under significant drought and a lot of people don’t realize that,” she said. Presently, drought and wildfire conditions in Harris County remain at above 600 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, the system public safety officials use to predict possible forest fires.

County officials enacted a burn ban earlier this week, reflecting the ongoing drought and the heightened possibilities of brush fires. But firefighters have responded to scores of outdoor brush fires in recent weeks, far more than they might during nondrought conditions, she said.

Christensen urged July

Fourth partygoers to go to public fireworks displays rather than shooting off fireworks.

“Right now is a very dangerous time,” she said. “Last night was a prime example — when those fireworks go up, those embers come down — those things will sit there and smolder, and that’s what we’re worried about.”

Firefighters have also responded to increasing numbers of brush fires caused by discarded cigarettes, she said, referencing a recent blaze near Hockley, and even a few instances where people who were mowing their lawns inadvertently started fires when their mowing equipment sparked.

“It just shows how dry things are,” she said.

The fire comes just days after authorities here enacted a burn ban. State law allows county commissioners to prohibit the sale and use of fireworks during droughts — but only if enacted more than 15 days before the July 4 fireworks season. If Harris County residents do end up setting off personal fireworks, they should make sure to have water nearby to douse any potential fires and to extinguish falling embers.

Because the burn ban went into effect just a few days ago, Harris County residents are not prohibited from purchasing or lighting fireworks this weekend. But only in the unincorporated parts of Harris County — consumer fireworks are not permitted within city limits, per city ordinance.

Shooting a gun in the city is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, a $4,000 fine or both. Setting off fireworks could result in fines of between $500 and $2,000.

Fire Chief Sam Peña said 18 people died and more than 15,000 were injured across the country in fireworks-related incidents in 2020.

“Every year, we have people wind up in the hospital,” Peña said. “The real issue is the injuries and the fire danger that come with the improper use of fireworks.”