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(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Volunteer Fire Departments and other emergency personnel respond to a grass fire Wednesday, Oct. 9 on FM 61 south of Burch Road. Young County Commissioners voted to implement a burn ban which went into effect Tuesday, Oct. 15 and will expire in 90 days, unless commissioners remove it earlier.
Due to recent dry conditions, Young County is entering into a burn ban for the foreseeable future.
Young County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, Oct. 15 in favor of entering into a burn ban. The vote occurred at the county’s regularly scheduled meeting and went into effect the same day.
Last week on Thursday, Oct. 10, Young County Judge Win Graham signed an official declaration order to enact an emergency burn ban due to recent fires emergency personnel had been fighting.
The emergency declaration lasted seven days and expired Thursday, Oct. 17. County commissioners saw a need to extend the burn ban due to forecasted temperatures and weather conditions.
Executed burn bans last for 90 days or until lifted by the commissioner’s court. Restrictions could be canceled early by the Young County Judge based on a determination by the Texas A&M Forest Service that hazardous conditions no longer exist.
“I did a 7-day disaster declaration. I had unanimous support to do that from the five volunteer fire department chiefs, the Olney Fire Department chief, TDEM, our TDEM representative, our emergency management coordinator and also the Graham Fire Department,” Judge Graham said. “...Our guys are recommending that we put on a more permanent burn ban at the moment.”
The new ban would expire near the middle of January 2025, but county commissioners have the ability to rescind the ban when they see fit.
The order bans the burning of trash or brush and open campfires. The order does not prohibit outdoor cooking in enclosed pits.
It also does not apply to outdoor burning related to public health and safety authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for firefighter training, public utility, natural gas pipeline or mining operations, planting or harvest of agricultural crops or burns that are conducted by a prescribed burn manager certified under the Natural Resources Code who meets the standards under that code.
A violation of the order is a Class C misdemeanor which is punishable by a fine not to exceed $500.
According to Texas A&M Forest Service, Young County has rated between a “Moderate” to “High” fire danger level, which in part, prompted the execution of this new burn ban.
