Early burn ban request doused before meeting
By BENJAMIN SHARP news@leader-news.com

Emergency management officials are no longer planning on asking county commissioners to implement a burn ban next week.

Current weather patterns and a few fire calls simply don't justify it, said County Emergency Management Coordinator Andy Kirkland Friday.

"We have put a place on the agenda (of Monday's court meeting) so that if it needs to be discussed we can, but the (fire) call numbers don't call for it," he said.

Area departments have been "getting some calls," Kirkland added, "But it has not been overbearing."

Although the county's Keetch-Byram Drought Index - a measure of ground moisture - was well beneath the 500 mark that signals automatic institution of a burn ban, officials were concerned that an accumulation of dead undergrowth might pose a serious fire risk.

Recent weather trends - namely low humidity and strong winds - have only made the situation worse. Most other counties in this part of the state have already instituted burn bans. Around 160 counties currently have one, including three of Wharton County's neighbors: Austin, Matagorda and Colorado counties.

"We're almost surrounded," Kirkland said.

How long Wharton County will stay free of a ban is unknown. Kirkland said a series of Pacific fronts are forecast to pass through the area soon, bringing little moisture but a drop in humidity levels.

"You've really got a potential problem," he said.