The details
James Altgelt, the Bastrop County emergency management coordinator, told Bastrop County Commissioners Court during an Oct. 27 meeting that he spoke with all six local fire chiefs the morning of the meeting.
“They are recommending to allow the people who have been abiding by the burn ban order to burn stuff that they’ve been holding at this time,” he said. “The thought process was that since we're going into a different climate with the temperature, the soil won't dry out at the same rate. If it comes out that we don't get additional rainfall and we do continue to have a fire threat, we can reenact the burn ban at a later time.”
However, commissioners cited concerns about a forecasted “wind event” for Oct. 29, and voiced their desire to err on the side of caution with an extension.
Zooming in
The emergency order prohibiting outdoor burning has been in effect since Sept. 22.
“The purpose of this order is the mitigation of the public safety hazard posed by wildfires during the current dry weather conditions by curtailing the practice of outdoor burning,” the emergency order, signed by Bastrop County Judge Gregory Klaus, states.
Bastrop County outlined the following enforcement measures if there is an outdoor fire:
- Fire departments responding to a scene to contain and extinguish the fire
- A peace officer being sent to the scene to investigate the nature of the fire
- A fine up to $500 if an individual knowingly violates the emergency order
Some background
Bastrop County also issued a disaster declaration Sept. 18, and cited several factors, including:
- A lack of rainfall for an extended period of time
- The dry conditions posing a risk of large, dangerous and fast-moving wildfires
- Meteorologists not forecasting a change in the dry conditions in the near future
“The latest drought map for conditions as of Oct. 14 shows an increase in drought for the fifth consecutive week,” Mark Wentzel, a hydrologist with the Office of Water Science and Conservation, said in his latest Water Weekly report on Oct. 20. “In the last week, improvements in West Texas and the Panhandle couldn’t keep pace with degradations with the rest of the state. Additional drought is likely on next week’s map.”
What else?
Residents can contact Altgelt with questions at 512-581-4022.
