TYLER COUNTY – The cessation of a countywide burn ban was announced last Thursday by the county’s emergency management office.
According to Tyler County Emergency Management Coordinator John Settlocker, after a meeting between County Judge Milton Powers and several agencies, the decision was made that the wind condition had improved, and that the relative humidity factor should be high enough to allow the burn ban to cease.
The burn ban had been in place nearly a month, along with most other counties in the region. Low relative humidity was one factor, along with insufficient rainfall, contributing to fire danger. When the relative humidity is low, the risk of wildfire is increased.
Settlocker wanted to warn residents to continue to exercise caution when burning.
“Please continue to use extreme caution while you burn, make sure you have a water source nearby while remaining attentive to the fire and not leave it,” he said.
Additionally, the Tyler County Youth Baseball Association, in coordination with the county’s Emergency Management Office and the Woodville Volunteer Fire Department announced a controlled burn on Wednesday, Nov. 5, for field maintenance on several fields.
“These burns are part of our ongoing field maintenance and preparation efforts ahead of the upcoming seeding and growing season. Controlled burns are an important step in maintaining healthy, playable fields and help reduce unwanted vegetation, pests, and debris in a safe and supervised manner,” a statement from the association read.
The burns will take place throughout the day under the supervision of trained personnel and there will be visible smoke in surrounding areas.
