County institutes ban on almost all types of burning

Update: An order by Young County Judge John Bullock canceled the burn restrictions as of Feb. 21 throughout Young County. Young County Commissioners’ Court put a burn ban in effect Monday, barring almost all outdoor burning in the county. This means no one can burn trash or brush, or have an open campfire in any unincorporated area of the county. The ban will remain in effect for 90 days (until May 12), unless the court lifts the ban. The only exceptions to the ban are cooking in enclosed pits or burns authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality such as firefighter training, public utility, natural gas pipeline or mining operations, planting or harvesting of agricultural crops or burns that are conducted by a prescribed burn manager. Violation of the ban is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500. This is the first Young County burn ban since August 2016. Graham has had only .02 of an inch of rainfall since Dec. 19, and only 2 inches since Nov. 1. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.