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Outdoor burning is allowed again in Bastrop County after officials lifted a monthslong burn ban following recent rainfall and improved fire conditions.
Bastrop County Commissioners voted April 13 to allow the ban, initially set three months ago, to lapse at midnight Monday. Officials said the move received unanimous support from local fire chiefs.
Office of Emergency Management Coordinator James Altgelt told commissioners recent weather has helped lower risk across the county.
“Texas A&M Predictive services show that we’re at the lowest rate possible for fire danger,” Altgelt said.
The region’s Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), which is used to measure wildfire potential, dropped significantly earlier this month. Altgelt told county leaders the KBDI had “bottomed out” at 422, which was a sharp decrease from the previous levels of 575 and 600 the county has seen in the past few weeks.
Additional data shows the county’s KBDI average was 455 on April 6, down from a 14-day average near 590 beginning March 24.
“As you saw, we were blessed with rain,” Altgelt said. “We didn’t get it all at one time, which was nice, so we didn’t have any flooding problems.”
With the vote, residents will once again be allowed to resume outdoor burning, though officials cautioned that conditions can change at any time.
Officials said they will continue to monitor fire risk through the coming weeks.
