Burn ban in effect for unincorporated areas of Tarrant County

FORT WORTH, Texas - Burn bans are active across a large part of North Texas with drought conditions getting worse during this extended stretch of hot, dry weather.

In Tarrant County, the burn ban for unincorporated areas is also part of a disaster declaration.

That declaration is a temporary step until the county commissioners approve longer-term restrictions on outdoor burning.

Tarrant County Fire Marshal Randy Renois has called for the second declaration of disaster in two weeks.

"It has a baking effect. We’re not getting any moisture. And when you get lower humidity, the temperature takes the moisture out of the ground and takes the moisture out of the vegetation," he said. "What you see in the cities a lot of times are small fires where cigarettes flick out, but it can still burn fast enough towards a structure to catch it on fire."

Renois says it’s necessary until the county commission meets again on Tuesday to consider a longer-term prevention tool. 

"That seven days wouldn’t take me to the court agenda, so I had to ask him for another seven days until I can get to Tuesday for a 90-day burn ban."

 On July 19, the Bonds Ranch Road grass fire that jumped the roadway is an example of what the fire marshal hopes to prevent.

The disaster declaration means residents in unincorporated areas can face fines for certain outdoor burn activities. 

Renois says everyone should take heed. 

"We have outdoor cooking guidelines on our webpage. We have welding guidelines on our webpage so that we are not limiting people to having fun. I cook. Like, I cook almost every night outside, but I have a gas grill. It’s on concrete, and it has a cover," he said.

The fire marshal points out that the drought index since June 19th has been on a steady climb. 

"Our drought index was at 288 that day. Today, we are at 672. So in the last two weeks, we’ve just climbed, climbed, climbed, climbed, and we are starting to see more grass fires," he said. "Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about it, but you can still prepare. And if you can stop people from burning outside, then that’s about 80%, maybe 85% of the fires we see."