Dry Conditions Increase Fire Risk across Southeast Texas

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- Underlying dryness will continue to increase the wildfire risk across much of Southeast Texas through the weekend. An update from the Texas A&M Forest Service, (TAMFS), confirms that a lack of recent rainfall, along with warm and dry conditions continues to expand the footprint of dry to locally critically dry wildfire fuel.

Wednesday and Thursday will feature above normal temperatures in the mid-90s, causing high-risk timber and brush/grass fuel to become critically dry, resulting in an increased wildfire risk and making wildfires more difficult to extinguish.

Here locally, Montgomery County Firefighters have responded to an increasing number of wildfires in the past few days. While our local fire crews are well trained and equipped to extinguish wildfires, some of the fires have damaged fences, sheds and other outside property. Fire crews in the Porter area reported that the last three wildfires they responded to this week have all started from the illegal burning of household refuse. This includes one recent fire that nearly spread to a home and left two residents injured.

Residents and businesses in Montgomery County are reminded that outdoor burning is prohibited year round in unincorporated parts of the County unless it meets one of the narrow exceptions found in State law. For more information on outdoor burning go to the MCFMO website at www.mctx.org/fire and click on the Outdoor Burning tab.

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