Kendall County is under an active burn ban for the first time since the spring, officials said Tuesday.
County Fire Marshal Brady Constantine Aug. 25 reported conditions are ripe for grass fires and wildfires, leading the Kendall County Commissioners Court to enact a countywide burn ban.
The ban will be reviewed every two weeks.
Constantine said the county’s Keetch-Byram Drought Index reading climbed 100 points in two weeks, to 575 on Monday.
Readings between 600-800 are associated with more severe drought and greater chances for wildfires.
“The KBDI has climbed significantly since our last meeting due to the high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds … and with no precipitation in the foreseeable future,” Constantine told commissioners during their meeting.
Normally, when the drought index approaches 600, the county has already seen a number of flare-ups, from fires along Interstate 10 to approved types of burns getting out of control.
“We just haven’t had the fires here that they’ve had in West Texas and North Texas,” the fire marshal said.
The last area precipitation came July 16, when 1.09 inches of rain fell — a day after 12.35 inches of rain created vast flooding in the area.
“It’s strange to think we got all that flooding, but here we are, right back in the ban,” Constantine added.
