CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coastal Bend is no stranger to brush fires and February has been a very busy time for fire crews and volunteer firefighters.
The dry conditions paired with the wind have departments like Nueces County ESD #2 asking residents to be mindful.
“In 2020, there were 56 grass fires in Flour Bluff, 38 on the Island and 28 out in the county,” said Chief Dale Scott with ESD 2.
“In '21, we jumped to 71 in the Bluff, 31 in the Island, 28 in the county.”
Chief Scott says so far in 2022, there have been 6 brush fires in Flour Bluff, 4 on the Island and 8 in the county.
“Very low humidity, very high winds, very dry conditions. We did a brush fire Saturday on Padre Island from Access Road 4 to LF Road from a down power line and the fire spread rapidly, jumped to about 10 acres,” said Scott.
With those same weather conditions happening Thursday, it has other agencies on high alert.
“We in particular are going to be keeping an eye out on Mustang Island, Padre Island, any of the rural areas of the city we’ll keep a close eye on,” said Corpus Christi Fire Department Chief Robert Rocha. “But we anticipate that we’re going to have a busy next couple of days.”
It’s not just the next couple of days, Chief Scott says he predicts this year’s brush fire season will be even busier.
“I’m thinking we’re going to be a lot busier with the freeze we had we did some surveys on the island the brush is waist deep and it is dead,” said Scott.
Because of dry vegetation and strong winds, both leaders are pleading with residents to be cautious.
“Be careful where you park your vehicle, high grass can sometimes catch fire underneath your car and then catch your car on fire, that occurs a lot,” said Rocha.
“If you’re tossing cigarettes out make sure they’re extinguished. If you’ve done any barbecuing, make sure the coals have been properly put out and disposed of,” said Scott.
Don’t just be mindful when it comes to potential fires, but also when you’re out on the water.
Chief Scott says those high wind conditions can impact rip currents. Although those rip currents can't be seen, you can feel them, and the wind can make them stronger, making the water dangerous for anyone who's out there.
"The wind can get the currents going, it can get big waves going. You can see riptides coming in if you're not a really seasoned boater you can go into the 3, 4 ft waves and get into serious trouble fairly quick,” said Scott.
Chief Scott says keep your cell phone in a watertight container and if you can, download the Coast Guard App to tell you where you are longitude and latitude.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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