Travis County has reinstated a burn ban for unincorporated areas that was lifted Jan. 26.

The Travis County Commissioners Court approved implementing a burn ban effective immediately at its Feb. 10 meeting. The burn ban will last 30 days unless lifted earlier by the Travis County judge or fire marshal.

Latest update

The burn ban comes after Travis County responded to 20-25 fires Feb. 7, Gary Howell, Travis County Chief Fire Marshal, said at the Feb. 10 meeting.

The ban applies to outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of Travis County, excluding prescribed burns, outdoor welding, cutting, grinding or other hot work operations when conducted in accordance with the Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office guidelines.

Also of note

The Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office is also urging residents to:

Avoid activities that could generate sparks.Use caution when grilling or barbecuing outdoors. Residents should keep a water source or fire extinguisher nearby when doing so.Call 911 if they notice a fire that may be out of control.The background

The ban is meant to serve as a preventative safety measure amid low humidity, dry vegetation and weather patterns that are continuing to foster favorable wildfire conditions, according to Travis County information.

“This is just a precaution to mitigate some of the issues that we may have over the next several weeks,” Howell said.

On Jan. 26, the county lifted a burn ban for unincorporated areas of Travis County early following recent rainfall that reduced immediate wildfire risk, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The previous burn ban—issued Dec. 29 and extended Jan. 6—was initially scheduled to remain in effect until Feb. 10.

What they’re saying

“Vegetation across Travis County remains critically dry, and even a small spark can quickly turn into a dangerous wildfire,” Howell said in a news release. “This burn ban is necessary to protect lives, property and our first responders while these elevated fire conditions persist.”

Stay tuned

Residents can receive burn ban status updates by texting TCBURNBAN to 888777.