GREENVILLE - The Hunt County Commissioners Court has voted to renew the county’s burn ban for another 90 days as a result of the continuous drought.
Fire Marshall Richard Hill says the county is now at the worst stage on the Keetch-Byram Drought Severity Index, as are several other local communities.
But despite continuous warnings authorities have caught numerous people violating the burn ban, said Hill. Officials first enacted the restriction on July 18. The first month violators were issued warnings. But in the last 30 days, Hill says there have been over 60 citations written. The Class C Misdemeanor can result in a fine, and if a major fire were to erupt and cause significant damage the violator could subject to even greater discipline.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 241 of Texas’ 254 counties were under bans on outdoor burning, including all of Northeast Texas.