Fire danger remains, official caution

October 25, 2011

However brief the cool breezes provided by autumn in the Crossroads area may be, local fire officials are urging residents to choose activities that don't involve open flames, part of an effort to avoid wildfires during the post-summer season.

“With the cooler weather beginning to take hold here and there, there are going to be a lot of people in the city and in the county who will be tempted to use their fire and barbecue pits, as well as fire places and wood-burning stoves,” Howard County Volunteer Fire Chief Tommy Sullivan. “It's very important they remember there is still a burn ban in effect.”

Howard County commissioners agreed to extend the ongoing burn ban for the standard 90-day term during an early September meeting. And while the burn ban strictly regulates the burning of trash in the county, it does little to govern the use of fire pits and barbecue grills, according to Sullivan.

For more information, you may subscribe to the Big Spring Herald or purchase an e-edition.