County extends burn ban

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, Coryell County Judge Roger Miller issued a county-wide burn ban following a week of high temperatures and a rise in drought conditions.

During a regular meeting on Tuesday, the Commissioners Court voted to extend the burn ban for a period of 60 days. Effective at sunset, the ban prohibits and restricts the “outdoor burning of all substances” due to public safety risks that could be heightened by outdoor burning.

Miller said that the order comes after the Gatesville Fire Department and the county’s emergency communications groups notified him about the increased risk of fires in Coryell County. 

The county also reached high drought levels last week based on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) – a drought index used to determine forest fire potential. Despite the recent rain, Miller said the county continues to remain at 600 out of 800 on the index for dry conditions.

The ban does not prohibit outdoor burning activities related to public health and safety that are authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which includes:

• Firefighter training
• Public utility, natural gas pipeline, or mining operations
• Planting or harvesting of agricultural crops
• Burns conducted by a prescribed burn manager and meet the standards of the Natural Resources Code
• Welding, grinding, and/or cutting metal if a spotter, serviceable fire extinguisher, and a minimum of 10 gallons of water are present
• Burning domestic waste in a barrel when using a screen with no larger than 3/8-inch holes

For more information on the burn ban, visit https://www.coryellcounty.org/