If you’ve been wanting to pitch a tent and light a campfire, or burn off some of the brush on your property, you've got about seven days to get ‘er done. Travis County Commissioners unanimously voted to lift the burn ban for a week on the advice of the county Fire Marshal Hershel Lee.
“I reviewed the forecast, took into account the recent rains, spoke with most of the local fire department fire chiefs, and taking all that information together, made the recommendation to the court to lift the burn ban for one week,” Lee told KUT News.
Travis County has been under a burn ban since December 2010, except for one three-day reprieve in April follwing a short rain.
“There’s just quite a bit of fuel that’s been accumulated over the last 11 months that people do need to dispose of, and this would be an opportunity for them to dispose of that in a safe manner,” Lee said.
Fires should always be manageable, Lee said. And people doing brush burning should contact their local fire department just to let them know. Anyone camping should avoid large bonfires and stick to modestly sized campfires, he said.
County Commissioners will consider whether to reinstate the burn ban at their next meeting on Tuesday, November 29.
