Bexar County commissioners voted to reinstate a burn ban Tuesday for unincorporated parts of the county because of increasingly dry conditions and a heightened risk of brush fires.
Commissioners unanimously approved the 90-day ban as part of their consent agenda without discussion. The order takes effect immediately and is scheduled to remain in place through Dec. 14, unless county officials determine earlier that the public safety hazard has passed.
Nearly five months after the county lifted its burn ban citing increased rainfall, officials say drought conditions have deteriorated. Documents presented to commissioners Tuesday say there is no significant precipitation expected in the long-range forecast, while extremely dry conditions, heavy fuel loads and changing high winds are contributing to severe brush fire conditions across the county.
David Brewer, chief inspector for the Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office, told commissioners the county’s Keetch-Byram Drought Index had reached 638.
“It is dry, crunchy and hot out there,” Brewer told commisioners. “At 575 [on the index], is when the county is able to enact a burn ban, and we are well above that.”
The index measures drought conditions on a scale from zero, representing saturated soil, to 800, representing completely dry soil.
As the index climbs above 400, dry surface litter and other organic material increasingly contribute to fire intensity, while larger fuels can burn or smolder for several days, according to the Forest Service. Conditions above 600 are associated with more severe drought and increased wildfire activity, when fires can burn with extreme intensity and even live vegetation can burn actively.
The burn ban generally prohibits outdoor burning in unincorporated Bexar County.
Residents can still burn household trash and other domestic waste in enclosed containers, such as burn barrels fitted with metal wire mesh screens designed to prevent sparks and flames from escaping.
The ban also includes exceptions for certain activities, including firefighter training, some utility and agricultural operations and burns conducted by certified prescribed-burn managers.
Violating the order is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.
