Dry Independence Day Conditions Worry East Texas Fire Officials
Posted/updated on: July 4, 2013 at 4:54 pm
EAST TEXAS — Two weeks without rain has East Texas fire officials concerned about Fourth of July fireworks. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. The West Harrison Volunteer Fire Department has battled three small grass fires since Saturday and will staff firefighters at the fire station all day Thursday, said spokesman Ryan Freeman. “Most fireworks burn at 1,200 degrees,” said Freeman, who has been part of the West Harrison VFD the past nine years. “Grass will burn at 200 to 300 degrees. We’ll have people at the station and on standby all day.”
While there are no countywide burn bans in effect across Northeast Texas, the lack of precipitation and low humidity have increased the likelihood fireworks could spark fires. The National Weather Service in Shreveport reported Tuesday that Longview is almost 7 inches below normal rainfall for the year. The last measurable precipitation was recorded June 17.
Brad Smith, wildland fire analyst for the Texas A&M Forest Service, said East Texas is about two weeks of summer-time conditions away from being under serious consideration for a burn ban. However, Smith said, the absence of burn bans shouldn’t keep people from being safe with fireworks during holiday celebrations. “Fireworks can certainly be a source of ignition,” Smith said. “People need to be thinking about where they are going to be using fireworks.”
Gregg County Fire Marshal Chad Hogue echoed Smith’s sentiments, adding that aerial fireworks can pose a significant threat to people in suburban neighborhoods. “If people are going to be using aerial fireworks, they need to make sure they don’t shoot over people’s houses,” Hogue said. “They need to be in a clear, open area.”
Hogue said dry pine needles on rooftops of homes can easily ignite if a firework is thrown into the mix. Hogue and other fire marshals in Texas are closely monitoring the threat of fire with the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI. The index measures the risk of fire on a scale from 0-800. On Tuesday, Gregg County had an index of 603.
Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt said the risk would have to exceed 700 on the scale to put a burn ban into place. “We conference with the sheriff and fire marshals weekly, and we did not think we needed to issue a burn ban at this time,” Stoudt said.
Upshur County Judge Dean Fowler said county commissioners would meet July 15 to decide whether to issue a burn ban. “Currently, Upshur County is just on the borderline of needing a burn ban,” Fowler said. “People need to exercise caution when using fireworks or barbecuing outside.”
