The Polk County Commissioners Court rescinded the burn ban and terminated the disaster declaration in effect since Oct. 11 during an emergency session of the Court on Tuesday, finding that the public safety hazard cited in the order has been relieved due to sufficient rainfall.
The Polk County Office of Emergency Management and the Polk County Fire Marshal reviewed current conditions with the Texas Forest Service and agreed that ending the burn ban is appropriate at this time.
Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy on Oct. 11 signed a local declaration of disaster that included an order prohibiting outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of the county due to the dry weather conditions and the threat of wildfire.
“Polk County has not had significant rainfall for an extended period and weather forecasters offer little promise of a change in the dry conditions in the near future and these dry conditions pose the threat of large, dangerous and fast-moving wildfires and such fires have the potential of endangering the lives and damaging property to a large scale,” Murphy said.
The purpose of the order was the mitigation of the hazard posed by wildfires by curtailing the practice of outdoor burning.
The disaster declaration would continue until rescinded in accordance with statute and order but could not continue for more than seven days without authorization by the Polk County Commissioners Court.
The Court extended the order prohibiting outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of the county for 30 days during an Oct. 17 emergency called meeting.
