Commissioners extend disaster declaration, burn ban

Henderson County Commissioners Court extended the current burn ban and declaration of Local State of Disaster for 28 days Tuesday morning.

Commissioners Court decided to extend the restrictions in light of the current drought and the ongoing threat of wildfires. Henderson County Fire Marshal Shane Renberg told Commissioners that firefighters had battled 28 wildfires in the past seven days and 80 during August.

"We are in worse conditions now than we were in last year," he said.

County Judge Wade McKinney had initially declared a Local State of Disaster on August 22, citing the extensive loss of agriculture resources and the increasing fire danger. The disaster declaration prohibits outdoor burning of combustible materials, including fireworks, burning of trash, brush, and open campfires. Discarding cigarettes and ashes is prohibited unless deposited into an appropriate receptacle. Outdoor welding is only allowed under certain circumstances.

The following was posted on the Henderson County Fire Marshal's Facebook page Tuesday morning, "I know there are a lot of questions and discussions concerning the declaration, especially concerning outdoor grilling. Outdoor burning of combustible materials in an outdoor environment by any person is PROHIBITED! If it burns, it's combustible. Fireworks are also not allowed during the declaration."

Ignoring the burn ban is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Henderson County's current KBDI has increased to an average of 738 and all parts of the county are over the 575 level where a burn ban is suggested. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is maintained by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M Forest Service and is used to determine fire potential.

Discussion of the disaster declaration and burn ban begins at the 13:04 mark in the video below.