Cass County orders another burn ban

By Bobby Horn Jr.

Sun Editor

LINDEN—Extreme drought conditions across East Texas have prompted Cass County Judge Becky Wilbanks to issue an emergency order and an outdoor burn ban, effective Sept. 23 at 9 a.m.

The burn ban is based on a recommendation from the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS).

According to the order, “a person commits an offense if he or she burns a combustible material outside an enclosure, which serves to contain all flames and/or sparks or orders such burning by others. Violation of the burn ban can result in a fine up to $500.

The TFS uses the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) for determination of drought conditions within the State of Texas. The KBDI is based on a daily water balance, where a drought factor is balanced with precipitation and soil moisture (assumed to have a maximum storage capacity of 8-inches) and is expressed in hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion.

According to the National Weather Service, the KBDI for Cass County on Sept. 22 ranged between 590 and 740 for average 740. A 14-day forecast shows that the level should increase to range of 700 to 800.

Levels between 600 and 800 are often associated with more severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence. Intense, deep-burning fires with extreme intensities can be expected. Live fuels can also be expected to burn actively at these levels.

Cass County joins neighboring counties Marion, Morris and Bowie Counties in enacting burn bans

Over the week and a half, the National Weather Service predicts that extreme drought conditions will blanket the entire East and Central Regions of Texas. Forecast maps show extreme drought conditions from the Oklahoma border in the north to Harris County (Houston) in the South and from the Louisiana border in the east to Bexar County (San Antonio) in the west.

This is the second burn ban issued for Cass County in the past six weeks.