CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Texas A&M Forest Service recently raised its Wildland Fire Preparedness Level due to a pattern of hot and dry conditions, often proving to be the perfect formula for brush fires.
The agency is now in Level 2, which means increased fire danger is being seen in some regions of the state, so additional resources including staged aircraft may be asked to assist.
"We responded to three today in different parts of the county and different counties," Beeville Fire Department Captain Keith Stark said.
As a volunteer fire department Stark said his team knows how to make do with what they have, but could always use more help.
"Right now we're in the 50's, but I believe we are capped for 75, so we have room for more," he said.
Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner said that raising the Wildland Fire Preparedness Level means certain regions will need to see more manpower, including here in South Texas.
"We've also started increasing our staffing levels at local offices in areas that are expecting more wildfires, so in South Texas down near you we have taskforces in Beeville and Alice," he said.
Turner said that due to the large amount of land those locations have, staying ahead of the curve is crucial.
"We increase our preparedness level because we want to put more stuff in place ahead of time, so when fires do start, we're ahead of them, opposed to being on our backfoot to try and catch up to it," he said.
This is why Stark urges residents to be aware of what can cause a fire, saying it's easier than some people may realize.
"There was a guy weeding and hit a rock or a fence post or something and sparked up a fire and burned a couple hundred acres, so it doesn't take much," he said.
If you're curious about fire conditions in your county, you can check the A&M Forest Service map, which gives a breakdown of burn bans and even recent fire data. For those interested in joining the Beeville Fire Department, you can drop by the station or call them at (361) 362-7609.