Van Zandt County officials approved a 30-day countywide burn ban during an emergency meeting after the county fire marshal warned of elevated wildfire risk.

The Van Zandt County fire marshal told the board he would recommend a 30-day ban, citing “abnormally high temperatures,” below-average rainfall in recent weeks and an increased fuel load following changes in summer cattle handling. The marshal said the recommendation is made under Government Code section 352.081 and that the ban could be rescinded earlier if conditions improve.

Board members discussed recent incidents and weather patterns that informed the recommendation. The fire marshal described a recent grass fire of roughly 100 acres on Thanksgiving that investigators traced to heat from a UTV undercarriage, and noted that shifting wind gusts and rapid drying can make fuels highly flammable within an hour after surface moisture disappears.

Presiding officer (identified in the record as speaker S5) moved to implement the 30-day countywide burn ban and to authorize the Van Zandt County fire marshal to rescind bans upon improved conditions. The motion was seconded, decided by voice vote, and was announced as passed by the presiding officer; no roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.

A county office reported receiving a call earlier the same morning asking whether a ban was in effect; officials clarified that no ban had been in place before the meeting and that the new restriction would take effect following the passed motion.

The meeting adjourned at 01:04. The fire marshal said officials would place any rescission of the ban on the next available agenda if conditions warrant earlier action.