SPRING, Texas – For the past several days, counties all over Southeast Texas have been placed under a burn ban.
These include: Harris County, Montgomery County, Fort Bend County, Waller County and Liberty County amongst many more.
These counties have seen very dry conditions which have caused a drought around the region.
Fire departments see surge in Brush Fires
Local perspective:
One local fire department that has seen an increase in brush fires, is the Spring Fire department.
Since Friday, the department has responded to at least 3 separate calls for brush fires in their area.
“I’ve seen it move in a matter of a few minutes from grass to some structures and everything like that,” Spring Fire Department Captain Jermaine Wilson said. “It all depends on, on all depending on the wind.”
One of the most recent fires includes a home on Forest Drive in Weldon Forest.
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Prevention: How to stop the spark
What you can do:
To prevent brush fires from starting, Captain Wilson recommends throwing away items that are flammable into the proper containers or bins.
“Right now, with the grass being so dry that it is, in a little initial spot that when I would catch it on fire and it can cause a big fire at a matter of seconds,” Wilson said. “It spreads in a building, a residence that’s around.”
According to the Spring Fire Department, improper handling of flammables is what often leads to fires spreading.
“A lot of times, a lot of those grass fires do start from people are throwing a cigarette out the window,” Wilson said. “I mean, it’s a little quick deal for them. Just throw it out the window. When they do, wind blows into the dry grass, to the woods, and it catches everything on fire.”
“Dispose of all of your cigarettes or any other smoldering devices,” Wilson said. “Barbecue coals or anything like that, and safely put them in a safe spot. That way it won’t cause fires to spread out of control.”
The Source: Spring Fire Department.
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