Grayson County fire marshal warns of rising dryness, says burn ban possible within weeks

Fire Marshal Weeder told the Grayson County Commissioners Court on Oct. 14 that parts of the county are becoming very dry and that the court may need to consider imposing a countywide burn ban if recent trends continue.

“Things are getting awful dry out there,” Fire Marshal Weeder said, reporting that the Keetch‑Byram Drought Index (KBDI) readings the previous day and continuing into the meeting had risen substantially in parts of the county. He said some areas are “very dry” and that the county had seen KBDI readings the speaker described verbally as in the mid‑500s to mid‑600s. “Around 575, we can bring it to commissioner’s court and consider a burn ban for the county,” he said.

Weeder told the court the state of Texas has taken a proactive approach after last year’s wildfires in the Panhandle by prestaging firefighting equipment around the state; he said similar equipment had been prestaged in Grayson County, including at the local airport. He urged caution with outdoor burning and welding as vegetation that benefited from early rains has since dried.

The court took no formal vote on a burn ban at the meeting; Weeder presented the drought readings as a warning and recommended that commissioners monitor conditions and be prepared to act if KBDI readings or local conditions worsen.

Ending The court did not set a date for any burn‑ban vote at the meeting. Commissioners and the fire marshal asked residents to be mindful of outdoor burning while parts of the county remain dry.