By Terry Evans
The Weatherford Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
Copyright 2007 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
WEATHERFORD, Texas — Grassfires made a couple of busy days last week for firefighters in Weatherford and neighboring communities.
Weatherford Fire Chief George Teague said such days are expected.
“Monday and Tuesday were busy with fires in Greenwood and Tin Top,” he said. “The southwest winds and low humidity had us hopping.”
That’s why Teague and other smoke eaters hope rural residents consider conditions before intentionally starting fires.
“Use a little common sense about burning brush or garbage or whatever,” he said. “If the wind is more than 10 mph, wait until the next day.”
Teague said that most of the grassfires that caused major problems in the last 10 years started when people burned trash and left it unattended.
“The Poolville fire in 1996, the one in Silverado two and a half years ago and a number of others have been traced right back to a burn barrel in someone’s yard,” he said.
Recent rain and humidity notwithstanding, Teague said that conditions in Parker County remain somewhat dangerous.
“Each time we get rain, we’re OK for three or four days,” he said. “But a couple of days of strong winds and low humidity put us right back in the moderate-danger area. According to the Texas Forest Service, Parker County isn’t that dry right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fires.”
At it’s simplest, Teague’s advice is that if it’s windy, don’t burn.
“The fire danger is totally dependent on the amount of rainfall, the amount of humidity each day and the wind,” he said. “I’d rather have low humidity and no wind than high humidity and high winds.”