The Commerce Journal

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August 28, 2012

Burn ban lifted

Fire officials still urging caution

By BRAD KELLAR The Commerce Journal

COMMERCe — The Hunt County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to lift the ban on outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of the county, effective immediately.

David Alexander with the Hunt County Fire Marshal’s Office said recent rains had helped alleviate local drought conditions to where the ban was no longer needed.

“Mother Nature has maybe given us a little bit of a reprieve,” Alexander said.

Portions of Hunt County remain under moderate drought conditions and Richard Hill, Director of the Hunt County Office of Homeland Security is urging residents to take precautions when conducting a controlled burn.

Hill explained there are still certain restrictions to outdoor burning. The burning of household trash is only permissible during daylight hours and the wind speed cannot be greater then 23 mph. Natural materials, such as brush and limbs can be burned, but not treated or painted lumber. No prohibited material — including but not limited to: rubber, plastics, wire, insulation and furniture — can be burned, and a responsible person must be present during active burning.

How long the ban remains lifted may depend on how much rain the county receives in the near future.

Guidelines call for instituting or maintaining a burn ban whenever a county’s average readings under the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reach 475 or higher. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index measures soil moisture. A reading of 800 is the highest on the scale, meaning that it would take eight or more inches of rainfall to bring the soil to saturation.

As of Tuesday, the county’s readings under the index ranged from 368 to 629, with an average across the county of 530.

As the remnants of Hurricane Isaac are expected to veer well east of the area, there are only slight chances of rain in the forecast for the rest of this week.

Winds are expected to be gusting out of the north this week, especially on Thursday afternoon.

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