Brazos County enacts 60‑day outdoor burn ban amid high wildfire risk

Brazos County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to impose a 60‑day ban on outdoor burning, adopting an emergency order that took effect immediately.

Jason Wear, Brazos County emergency management coordinator, told the court the county faces elevated wildfire risk because grass that froze earlier has now cured and can ignite easily. "We've got very high fire dangers coming in," Wear said, adding that while the county’s typical Keetch‑Byram drought index (KBDI) county average is often about 600 or greater, "our average is only 380," a situation he said still poses risk because of cured vegetation.

Wear said local fire chiefs concurred with the assessment and that neighboring counties in the regional council of governments already have burn bans in place. He described a grass fire earlier the same morning near Sandy Point Sims Lane in Precinct 4 that was limited to roadside fuel about 20 feet in diameter but could have spread rapidly under hotter, drier afternoon conditions.

A staff member told the court they had drafted an order to "allow for a 60‑day order prohibiting outdoor burning" that would "allow the county judge to terminate early if need be." The proposed order as presented set an expiration date of April 25 and was put to a motion.

A court member moved to approve the measure and another seconded; the court approved the motion by voice vote with no opposition recorded. The presiding official said the order "passes the burn ban" and that the paperwork would be circulated for signatures. The meeting adjourned at 9:47 a.m.

The order is scheduled to expire on April 25 unless the county judge terminates it sooner. The court did not record individual vote counts or the names of the mover or seconder in the transcript; the action was recorded as a voice vote and carried.