County issuing warning to residents
(Seguin) – Although Guadalupe County opted to delay its ordering of an outdoor burn ban, officials say they do expect to see the item back on the agenda very soon and want the public to be well aware of it as we enter the summer season.
That’s according to Patrick Pinder, the Guadalupe County emergency management coordinator and fire marshal. Pinder says he withdrew his request to implement a burn ban during Tuesday’s meeting of the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court.
“Looking at the counties around us. Bexar County, Wilson County, and Comal County currently have burn Bans. Bexar County, they issued their burn ban when they had their significant outbreaks of grass fires in the community up there. Wilson County has had theirs in effect since January. Comal County issued theirs on the 13th of this month. The KBDI as of this morning when I checked it was at 539. It is in the 500s. However, it is in the lower of the 500s. With the projection in the forecast of some rain, I would recommend to the court that we take no action on the burn ban today and bring it back on the 7th,” said Pinder.
Pinder says with conditions expected to grow more dangerous especially during the Fourth of July holiday, this issue will remain on the table for now.
“The reason we want to start kind of watching the KBDI and the burn ban scenario is with firework season around the corner, the court has to make that decision by June 15th if we are going to limit or restrict certain types of fireworks. So, looking at the calendar, I’ll put the burn ban back on for the 7th of June and that will allow for us to determine those conditions at that time,” said Pinder.
Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher says last year, residents were spoiled with cooler temperatures and a considerable amount of rainfall. He says that combination allowed for the moisture to stick around longer. This time, however, he says he’s not so sure.
“Even if we get widespread rain across the county, it’s only two or three tenths in some areas with hundred-degree days, 20 mile an hour winds and by the next afternoon, it looks like it didn’t rain. I know the public is very aware of this, but we want to be mindful of weather conditions, real fire danger. As we become more populated, there’s more issues and possible danger for interaction between properties as things get split up, developed, and get closer to each other and limited fire resources that we’ve all talked about – all those things compiled together to potentially dangerous situations. So, we are not trying to impose the government onto the individuals but at the same time, we don’t want to see wild land grass fires and stuff across Guadalupe County affecting hundreds if not thousands of people so everybody please careful whether the burn ban is on or not,” said Kutscher.
In the meantime, officials ask that residents continue to practice safety and say they will continue to monitor burning during high winds. They say legally, sustained wind gusts over 23 mph prevents folks from burning. Anyone with questions about daily conditions are asked to contact the Guadalupe County Fire Marshal’s Office at 830-303-8856.