Palo Pinto and Young Counties lift burn ban

Palo Pinto County Commissioners’ Court ended its burn ban on Sept. 4 after it had been in place since Aug. 27 and the Young County Commissioners’ Court ended its burn ban on Monday after it had been in place since July 9.

This means there is no longer a ban which prevented people from burning trash or brush or have an open campfire in any unincorporated area of the counties.

The only exceptions to the ban were 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. Violations of the ban were a Class C misdemeanor and was punishable by a fine up to $500.

Graham has received 12.38 inches of rainfall since the start of the year and 3.5 inches since the start of September. Possum Kingdom Lake has received 13.09 inches of rainfall since the start of the year and 3.37 inches since the start of September. July saw many wildfires in the area including the surprise fire in Palo Pinto County which burned 4,500 acres south of Hwy. 180 near RO Bell and RD Bell roads.

For more on this story read the Wednesday Sept. 12 edition of the Graham Leader and the Lake Country Sun.