In light of the continuing lack of precipitation throughout Comal County, commissioners are considering issuing a limited a ban on outdoor burning in unincorporated county areas.
County Judge Sherman Krause and County Fire Marshal Kory Klabunde said last week they are awaiting word on the legalities allowing them to issue an order that would limit burning in parched areas — especially on days with high winds.
“It’s normally not a time when we would typically call a burn ban, but because it is winter, there is low humidity and high winds, and there is a huge fuel load with all of the dry grass out there,” Klabunde said last week. “We’re getting a number of fires, caused by sparks from chains dragging from trailers to cigarettes thrown out of windows, and those fires are taking off pretty quick.”
Texas A&M’s Keetch-Bynum Drought Index measures the amount of precipitation necessary to return dry soil to capacity in a point system ranging from zero (very wet) to 800 (very dry). The county’s last burn ban, from Sept. 10-Oct. 4, 2020, followed others imposed Jan. 29 to Feb. 13 and April 9-29. Under the restrictions, no open flames are allowed outdoors with violators subject to fines up to $500.
Despite fog and intermittent showers Monday, Comal County averaged 336 points in Tuesday’s KBDI, more than 170 points below the 500-point threshold county commissioners usually require before calling burn bans.
“We’re not sure how we’d do it (without a ban) and not sure how it would work,” Klabunde said. “We could ask for a ban when the KBDI goes over 500, but it would go off after drizzle and intermittent rain sent it under 500 for a while, and then we’d have to do it again. It’s a hard thing to figure out.”
Prescribed fires, also known as prescribed burns or controlled burns, are controlled applications of fire by a team of experts under specified weather conditions. Most get rid of underlying fuel for potential fires; others restore growth to grasses and plants that are suspended during winter.
A prescribed burn set in Bastrop County three weeks ago is now 100% contained, the Texas A&M Forest Service said Tuesday. High winds quickly and unexpectedly spread a burn prescribed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department near Bastrop State Park on Jan. 11.
The “Rolling Pines” fire scorched 812 acres and forced about 250 households to evacuate. But many residents recalled the 2011 Bastrop Complex Fire, which burned for 55 days and killed two people while destroying 1,600 homes and scorching 32,000 acres.
County officials there want to hold TPWD accountable. Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape assuring residents they plan to “know every detail” about what started the Rolling Pines Fire. “I have asked Texas Parks and Wildlife for a full accounting of what happened, what went wrong, what mistakes were made, what has been learned, and how what has been learned will be used to better protect the lives and property of our residents in the future,” Pape said days before he issued a more terse announcement on Jan. 14.
“To be clear, Texas Parks and Wildlife did not ask for our permission to conduct a prescribed burn this past Tuesday, nor did we give them permission to do so,” he said. “As a state agency, they conduct these events under the direction of a fire boss using national standards for prescribed burns. I have made it clear to TPWD that the use of controlled burns in Bastrop County must never again threaten our citizens or their residences.”
As the Rolling Pines fire was being contained, Bastrop joined Travis, Hays and Williamson counties — all with KBDIs under 500 — in calling for burn bans. Travis County’s ban, however, does not affect prescribed burns or outdoor welding, cutting or grinding hot works operations, under guidelines established by the local fire marshal, which Klabunde said are also excluded from general burn ban orders.
Officials are waiting and watching in Comal County, where a burn scorched 50 acres west of New Braunfels near the State Highway 46 and Farm-to-Market Road 3009 intersection on Jan. 14.
“It might get to a point where asking for a burn ban could be on commissioner’s court agendas for the next several weeks,” Klabunde said. “That way it would be available in case we need one.”
Klabunde said what he wants to avoid is calling a ban days in advance — leading to a rush to burn at several locations at the same time.
“That would be tough because it could happen on a day you’d least like to see,” he said. “For now, we’re playing it by ear and asking people to not burn in high winds and low humidity. After the Bastrop fire and the smaller ones we’ve had here, most people realize that it’s not the best time to burn right now.
“We’re keeping an eye on the situation and if it gets out of control, we’ll do something. But right now, with the rain we had earlier this week, things are taking care of themselves.”
The Texas Tribune contributed to this story.
