MJP –
Summer finally arrived in East Texas in early August, and it hasn’t let go since. A lot of rain fell in East Texas in July, making for a warm start to summer, but the rain suddenly stopped just before August.
Daily temperatures have been soaring to the upper 90s near 100 for the past few weeks due to high pressure, which has been controlling our weather. Vegetation across East Texas and the rest of Texas has been drying up as a result of all that heat. In the event of a wildfire, the abundance of dry vegetation in the area makes it a very dangerous place to be.
Although burn bans have been in place for some time in western and central Texas, three counties in east Texas have only recently enacted them for the 2024 fire season.
Proactive Burn Bans in East Texas
- Henderson Division
- County of Morris
- County of Kaufman
The eastern and northern parts of Texas are currently listed as “dry,” the lowest possible rating on a five-point scale from “very dry” to “very dry,” by the Texas Drought Monitor.
The goal of these burn bans, which county courts have implemented in the event of heavy rains, is to keep wildfires from spreading across the county.
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Meanwhile, the Texas A&M Forestry Service reports that firefighters have successfully confined 16 wildfires while fighting four significant ones. Mason County is home to the North Art fire, the biggest of these blazes. As of this writing, the fire had spread over 3,000 acres and was barely 10% contained.
Fires Raging Throughout Texas
- Three thousand acres burned in an art fire; 10% of the fire’s original area was contained.
- Fire in the mesquite – 100 acres – one-third contained
- Contained at 60% of a 10-acre pine dump file
Over 90% of the 165-acre Ledbetter Fire has been extinguished.
The Art Fire, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, KXAN reports, is a hybrid of three separate fires that were ignited by lightning. To stop the fire from spreading, firefighters are constructing containment lines.
Everything is drying up in East Texas, so it’s important to take precautions to avoid wildfires.
Make sure you have a plan to put out flames if you’re burning anything outside.
Never leave a campfire unattended in the open.
You shouldn’t drive or park on dead grass.
Be wary of sparks, especially from power tools or a trailer pulling a chain.
Leave no trace of cigarettes or matches.
Be very careful not to leave a fire unattended in these extremely dry conditions if you must burn anything.
Never let your fire go unattended.
