Authorities On Guard as Wildfire Season Starts in Parts of Texas Lacking Rain

Authorities in East Texas are on high alert as the wildfire season gets underway and areas report a lack of rain.

With the arrival of fall, East Texas' temperatures have cooled off in some places, but officials warn that dry conditions continue to exist, increasing the risk of wildfires over time.

Smith County and Longview

Low humidity over the past few weeks in the county has increased the risk of wildfires, according to Smith County Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Hogue. The lack of rain is also contributing to the conditions.

Hogue said that Every day that an area lacks rain or any other form of precipitation, the risk grows. Government officials are keeping an eye on it.

The lack of rain as well as warm daytime temperatures, according to Longview's Fire Marshal Kevin May, are keeping the surface vegetation dry and raising its flammability. The lack of rain, he claimed, has made all the areas surrounding the city more prone to fires.

May stated that until they receive sufficient rainfall, they will remain on high alert for any potential wildfires or significant grass fires.

Smith County is experiencing extreme dryness, and according to Hogue, the county commissioners and fire marshal's office are thinking about imposing yet another burn ban soon. According to him, the Commissioners Court will make that choice in the end.

Warnings From Officials

Hogue advised locals not to try to burn outside under the current weather and, in particular, not to leave any fires unmonitored. Additionally, he advised county residents to keep an eye out for any potential wildfires or grass fires.

Burn bans were imposed in Gregg and Smith counties on July 5, but were lifted on August 23 as Gregg County's rating on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which assesses the risk of forest fires, approached 700. According to the Texas Forest Service website, the scale ranges from zero, which represents no moisture depletion, to 800, which represents completely dry conditions.

Hogue explained that fire risk rises as the area dries out and as the KBDI rises. All of those factors are taken into account and combined before decisions are made, especially if the state begins to experience an increase in the number of grass fires.

Smith County received a 605 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index on Wednesday. It was 551 in the county of Gregg.

Burn Bans

Burn bans have recently been issued in other East Texas counties. Burning was prohibited in Rusk County on Tuesday and in Panola County on Monday. As a result of a hay baler catching fire, volunteer fire departments from Crims Chapel and Elderville-Lakeport in Rusk County battled a wildfire spanning seven acres on Texas 322 on Tuesday.

Hogue said Because the threat is dependent on the amount of rain an area receives, it can be difficult to predict when wildfire potency will rise over the course of a year.

Hogue added that it would be safer to burn during periods of regular rainfall and other wet conditions because the wildfire danger is much lower and the humidity is higher.

Officials urged residents to take additional safety measures in addition to general safety advice like notifying the officials about smoke and fires, avoiding burning or making bonfires on dry, windy days, and preventing the fire from coming into contact with fuel.

According to May, burning is prohibited inside the Longview city limits. He advised people to exercise extra caution and keep the equipment for putting out fires close at hand in case they were to catch fire.

Additionally, he advised locals not to toss cigarettes out of cars or onto dry grass, not to leave charcoal grills unattended, and to check that trailer chains are not dragging on the road and igniting them.

In addition, Hogue advised not to ever leave a fire unattended and to always have extinguishing equipment nearby, such as a fire extinguisher or water hose, Longview News-Journal reports.