NO BURN BAN RECOMMENDED YET IN WASHINGTON CO.

  

Firefighters in Washington County are not recommending a burn ban at this time.

Washington County Firefighters Association Vice President Ronnie Perry spoke this (Tuesday) morning on the KWHI Community Corner to discuss the criteria for instituting a burn ban, why the county has not enacted one, and best practices for outdoor burning.

Perry said a burn ban is used as a last resort when other ways of reducing fire activity are not effective.

 

Perry said the drought index, greenness maps and the amount of precipitation received are all taken into consideration on a daily and weekly basis by the Firefighters Association, which meets regularly with county commissioners and the county judge to go over when a burn ban is fitting.

Perry said a large factor in choosing whether to enact a burn ban is looking at the number of calls firefighters respond to and determining if that number would drop with a ban.  So far, Perry does not believe that would be the case.

 

Washington County did receive rain on Monday, but much of the area remains very dry.  Earlier this month, the Brazos River Authority activated a Stage 1 Drought Watch for Lake Somerville, prompting the City of Brenham to ask residents to conserve water and limit their irrigation to certain days and hours of the week.  The chance for rain and thunderstorms is currently the highest on Thursday and Friday.

Brazos County approved a burn ban this morning, leaving Washington County as the only county in the immediate area without a ban in place.

For anyone looking to burn outdoors, Perry said staying updated on the weather is critical.  He recommended burning in the morning hours to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, higher humidity and lower winds.  If possible, he said residents should hold off on burning until wetter conditions arrive.

The full Community Corner program with Perry and Brenham Fire Chief Roger Williams can be heard here.