Experts say wildfire danger 'extreme'
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

El Campo and Wharton County residents are urged to exercise extreme caution with anything that burns over the next several days.

Conditions are too dangerous to carelessly burn or even throw a cigarette from a car window, El Campo Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Appling said.

"From cigarettes to open fires, people should use extreme caution," he said. "Dry conditions and high winds only add to the risk."

Tuesday El Campo and Wharton County were on the boundary of a weather area creating a critical wildfire threat.

Low humidity and high winds are typically the culprit easily capturing even the slightest spark and potentially turning it into a raging grass fire.

"Even when it's raining or damp, things can still burn," Appling said, adding grassland conditions are such that fires can spread quickly in the matted winter turf.

"And the northers still coming in tend to dry things out here," he said.

So far Wharton County has avoided the damage levels of a disaster area, and OEM officials are hoping public diligence will help minimize the danger.

Most wildfires can be traced back to one source - a careless person.

Residents are urged to: • Avoid burning trash. Even a barrel covered with a screen can allow a spark to escape and ignite nearby vegetation.

• If you smoke in your car, extinguish cigarettes in vehicle ashtrays. Never toss a cigarette out of a car window and don't put cigarettes out on the ground.

• Be careful when pulling off a road or driving into a field. Hot catalytic converters can ignite vegetation.

• Keep a fire extinguisher and water handy when working outdoors with equipment that gets hot or involves sparks, such as welding equipment. Water down outdoor work areas in advance if possible.

Last week Gov. Rick Perry requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 184 Texas counties threatened or impacted by wildfires. To date, more than 70,000 acres and 60 structures have been destroyed.