The burn ban is off, burn ban is back on

During the July 9 Hays County Commissioners Court meeting, the burn ban was pulled off after a substantial rain. But, as is usual in the middle of summer, it didn’t last for long as it will return later this week.

Last week, Fire Marshal Clint Browning credited recent rainfall, including the previous day’s summer storm, in the decision. “As you know, we got some rain,” he said. The weather pattern that began on July 4 came just in time to diminish the danger of fireworks, he noted.

Even with the rain, there was still concern about the overall dryness, and that was before the following week of no rain.

The county’s KBDI Drought Index prior to July 4 had edged up to 620 on the scale that runs from zero to 800. After the July 4 rains it had dropped to 528, however, it quickly began to rise throughout the week.

While all the fire chiefs in the county had agreed last week the pull the burn ban off, the lack of rainfall caused them to want to put it back on. The Commissioner’s Court decided to give residents a few days reprieve though and did not implement the burn ban on Tuesday during court. Instead, the burn ban will be official on Friday, July 20.

For additional information on the burn ban, visit the county’s website at co.hays. tx.us.