The Courier of Montgomery County reports that various counties across Texas have issued burn bans, and as drought conditions get worse Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 143 counties including Montgomery, Walker, Trinity and Polk counties.
Firefighting resources are being deployed by him to support local communities that are at an elevated risk to have wildfires.
The governor said Texans should initiate precautions, listen to the state and local officials and avoid activities that can make a spark.
Drought conditions are a part of the increased risk for wild fire across East and North Texas, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Any windy conditions ahead could raise the potential for wildfire across Texas. The Wildland Preparedness Level has been raised to Level 3, which is an indicator wildfire issues are hitting many regions of the state because of dry vegetation, drought and frequent fire weather events.
More than 80 wildfires have burned over 2,200 acres during the past week.
Montgomery County Judge Keough said, “We expect conditions to get worse before better.”
Montgomery County has averaged 693 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index according to Keough. The index is used to figure forest fire potential. It’s based on a 0 to 800 scale, with 800 being the worst possible conditions which would result in extreme wildfire conditions.
