BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — On June 27, Brazos County commissioners met and approved a burn ban for people within the county.
The decision came after areas in Bryan and College Station saw an increase in grass fires over the month of June. Since the start of summer, several counties issued burn bans for people to follow within their area.
Jason Ware, the Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator for Brazos County, said that as of Tuesday afternoon, only Washington, Leon, and Robertson County are the only areas in the seven-county region to not issue a burn ban in the Brazos Valley. Ware said that the lack of rain over the past few weeks is what attributed to the commissioner’s decision.
“When it gets to that point where you know there’s no rain or very little rain or scattered rain predicted, then they usually pass the burn ban,” said Ware.
Ware said that the burn ban put in place doesn’t apply to fireworks in the area. The longtime firefighter added that Bryan and College Station have both made it illegal to use fireworks within city limits and commissioners would’ve had to decide by mid-June to ban fireworks for July 4th.
“That had to be passed back on June 15, and we weren’t at those thresholds at that time.”
Ware said he has served in several capacities as a first responder and gone out to many fires across the Bryan-College Station area. As Brazos County has moved forward, Ware said he hopes that people follow the rules and regulations set by the local officials in their area.
If a person is caught violating the burn ban or the rules for fireworks in the city area, a person could be issued a citation and possibly receive a fine, according to Ware.
“If you have any concerns, you have a firework that goes off and lands in the pasture, you have any concerns whatsoever you call the fire department and we’ll come out and investigate and make sure everything is okay,” said Ware.
You can find the document on the Brazos county website.