15-03-2025
East Texas officials warn of high fire risk
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Fire officials at the state and local levels are warning of the high risk of grass and wildfires into the weekend.
Smith County Fire Marshal 'strongly advising' residents to not burn outdoors
'Over the next three days, don't burn,' Rusk County Fire Marshal Patrick Dooley said.
Dooley said his county is under critical fire watch and he wants people to know the dangers.
'We've seen what wildfires can do over the last few years,' Dooley said. 'We saw what happened in California, we saw what happened last year in the Panhandle.'
The Texas A&M Forest Service has several East Texas counties under a high fire danger rating and the East Texas Storm Team said the weather is contributing to these conditions.
'Humidity values are going to go down to about 15 to 20%, meaning that the air is going to be really dry,' Meteorologist Brayden Siau said. 'That's a low humidity value for East Texas.'
Strong winds are only adding fuel to the potential for danger and could make any wild or grass fire harder to fight.
'When you have that here with those winds, that's when you get that fire danger recipe,' Siau said.
There are currently no burn bans in any East Texas county, but fire marshals are warning against burning anything.
70-acre wildfire reported in Cass County
'The one thing with wildfires even if you're doing a controlled burn, you turn your back for a second and then the next thing you know it's gone,' Dooley said.
The National Weather Service also warns against welding, throwing out cigarette buds, dragging chains on trailers and doing anything that could produce a spark.
'Limbs and sticks that's what's going to catch fire,' Dooley said. 'Hayfield that are dead right now they're going to get going.'
For now he said East Texans can do their part to keep everyone safe by not burning anything.
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