County Judge Mark Barr said it was necessary for the court — which approved the measure by a unanimous vote — to do so quickly to meet state deadlines.
“To place a ban on aerial fireworks — we’re talking about things like bottle rockets — you have to do so before Dec. 15,” said Barr. “And I’m really afraid of what this season could bring with so much fuel out there.”
Barr said despite the recent wet weather, he’s worried a quick dry spell could mean disaster for Howard County.
“I have to tell you, I’m scared to death we’re going to burn something up,” Barr told commissioners during the meeting. “I know it’s wet out there right now, but we all know it will dry out.”
The burn ban currently in effect was recently approved by the court, and if conditions don’t cooperate, according to Barr, it could stick around a lot longer than just 90 days.
“At the end of that 90-day period, we can either let the ban lapse or we can renew it,” said Barr. “I’m really not sure what we’ll be doing at this point. If we’ve received plenty of rain and things look better, we might let it lapse. If it’s still windy and dry — which it will most likely be — then I’m sure we’ll renew it. It all depends on what the situation is. We just want to make sure people understand how incredibly dangerous out there it is right now.”
According to Howard County Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tommy Sullivan, the recent rains have not diminished the dangers that lie ahead.
“We’ve been seeing a heavy influx of wildfires over the last month,” Sullivan said. “We expected that because of the rains this year. Rain is always good for our area, but the end result is always high fuels. We have the highest amounts of fuel this year than we’ve seen in the past 25 years.
“The recent rains have helped to slow down some of the grass fires, but once things start to dry out again, the fuel is still going to be there. We really need people to be safety minded.”
Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at
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