TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday issued a burn ban for unincorporated areas of the county, effective immediately.
The burn ban will expire in a month, on Oct. 26, unless further action is taken by Travis County Judge Andy Brown or the Travis County Fire Marshal Tony Callaway before that date.
“Fire danger is expected to increase significantly over the next seven to 10 days as humidity levels drop and rain chances remain minimal,” Callaway said in a release. “We want to do everything we can to minimize the risk of wildfires, and a new burn ban is a tool we can use to keep our community safe.”
Hays County has also issued a burn ban, which is in effect for 90 days until late December.
According to a release, the burn ban does not affect prescribed burns conducted under the supervision of a prescription burn manager. It also does not affect outdoor welding, cutting or grinding operations and outdoor hot works operations conducted in accordance with the guidelines established by the fire marshal's office.
The county fire marshal is urging residents to be cautious when grilling outside. Calloway recommends having water nearby in case of a fire. Residents are asked to call 911 immediately if a fire gets out of control.
The new burn ban comes as crews on Tuesday put out a small grass fire on Blake Manor Road in East Travis County. Firefighters aren't sure what sparked the flames but said it burned about an acre and destroyed eight cars.
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