Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ellis County administrator warns dry conditions could prompt unincorporated-area burn ban
Summary
Ellis County's administrator told commissioners that rising temperatures and dry conditions could lead the fire department to implement a burn ban for unincorporated areas if expected rain does not arrive; staff said public notices would follow any decision.
The county administrator told the Ellis County Commission on March 17 that the fire department is preparing to consider a burn ban for unincorporated areas as temperatures rise and dryness increases wildfire risk.
"If nothing doesn't change, then the temperatures are gonna continue to rise. It's gonna continue to dry out," the administrator said, urging residents to "pray for rain" while staff monitor conditions. The administrator noted that large fires are burning elsewhere, saying, "Up in Nebraska, they have 5, 600000 acres on fire right now," as an example of regional wildfire activity and the risk the county watches.
The administrator said the county could implement a burn ban within about two weeks if rain does not arrive and that announcements would be posted online and to the county's usual local notification channels. No formal ban was declared at the March 17 meeting.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote on a ban during the session; the administrator said the next regular commission meeting is scheduled for April 5, and that a decision would depend on weather between now and then.
