CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Dry conditions in some parts of our area helped to cause a number of fires lately. Over the weekend, county fire crews helped battle a grassfire in Edroy and several over in Kleberg County.
Nueces County Emergency Management Director Dee Hawkins says it's time to issue a burn ban.
"We’ve reached conditions where we would suggest a burn ban based on what the factors are right now," Hawkins said.
County ESD 1 Fire Chief Michael Clack told 3NEWS that the number of fires his department is responding to is growing weekly.
"It’s just time to start considering it and I didn’t want to be too late and us not be able to get one in effect," Clark said.
San Patricio County Judge David Krebs says the fire danger there is not to the level of calling for a burn ban, but it is in Kleberg County.
Judge Rudy Madrid just issued an emergency order for Kleberg County.
Here in Nueces County, Commissioner Brent Chesney says it makes sense for the County to pass a burn ban this week since our drought index numbers are so high now.
"You start looking at 500; last summer we did it at 600, we're pretty close," Chesney said. "We’re farther along now than we were this time last summer. Meaning it's worse now than it was this time last summer, so we're definitely going to consider the ban.”
That burn ban, if passed, would include no burning of trash unless you don’t have solid waste services and no bonfires on the beach.
"It would affect beach bonfires because people think, 'Okay I’m right next to ocean, I’m in the sand why can’t I do a beach bonfire?' well, the dunes behind you are extremely dry too," Hawkins said.
A number of factors are considered when calling for a burn ban. One, is the increase in the number of fires which we have seen. Also, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index is helpful because it shows the potential for a wildfire to break out. That number has soared over the past few weeks to 585 which is nearing the top range of that fire danger predictor.