Commissioners lift county burn ban

The Coryell County Commissioners Court voted on Nov. 8 to discontinue the burn ban and revisit the issue at their Nov. 22 meeting.

The commissioners court had previously lifted the ban for a weekend but then reinstated it because of continuing drought conditions.

County Judge Roger Miller said that Gatesville Fire Chief Billy Vaden told him the fire department responded to five calls the weekend of Nov. 5-6 involving burning brush piles that got into grass. That number of calls is down significantly from earlier in the year.

"Even though we've had some precipitation across the county, there is division among the different volunteer fire departments on whether the burn ban continues to be necessary," Miller said. "My feeling is we're on the cusp (of being able to lift the ban) but we're not there yet. I know one size doesn't fit all. We can look at it, precinct by precinct."

Commissioner Kyle Matthews voiced his support for discontinuing the burn ban.

"I would like to see it lifted," he said. "We can see what happens in the next two rounds of showers and look at it again on (Nov. 22). We need more moisture, but I think we're OK to burn."

Commissioner Scott Weddle said his precinct has remained more dry than some of the areas of Coryell County.

"Precinct 2 is still dry," He said. "We didn't get a drop of rain on Friday (Nov. 4)."

Three residents of Precinct 2 who were attending the meeting offered their views. One said her property had received rain, while two others said their property did not.

"I've got brush piles that are dry," one man said, adding he would like to dispose of them "but I don't want to burn down the whole county."

Another resident said a hay field on her property burned over the summer and added, "I don't want to see anything like that happen again. I err on the side of caution."

Matthews made a motion to rescind the ban, which was seconded by Commissioner Ryan Basham, and the court voted to discontinue the ban.

Matthews later said that while the ban has been lifted, it is up to each individual to determine whether or not the conditions near them allow for safe outdoor burning.