The Burn Ban’s Back on for Unincorporated Comal

Comal County Judge Sherman Krause issued a burn ban at the Commissioners Court meeting this morning.

It goes into effect at 6 a.m. on Friday and affects unincorporated areas of Comal County.

Comal County Fire Marshal Kory Klabunde said during this time of year, fire and weather conditions can change rapidly due to a large fuel load, high winds and very low humidity.

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) reached 501 on Thursday.

The normal threshold for enacting a burn ban is 500. On Oct. 17, Comal County commissioners extended an existing burn ban before rescinding it on Oct. 25 after between 1.5 to 4 inches of rain dropped the KBDI to 265.

Every 100 points of the KBDI is roughly equivalent to an inch of dry soil depth.

Here’s what that means for residents living outside city limits:

• BBQ pits that are off the ground and have a lid (to contain all sparks and flames) are allowed for cooking purposes only
• No brush fires
• No burn barrels
• No fire pits (rings)
• No open flames of any kind
• No camp fire of any size
• No burn piles, day or night
• No burn piles with glowing embers
• No burning household waste (day or night  in container that contains all sparks and/or flames)
• No household waste (not in container that contains all sparks and/or flames)
• No burning non-wood construction materials
• No burning rubber, plastic, treated lumber, etc. (Exception: rubber and plastics in household waste allowed)

Fines for violating the burn ban range between $1,000 and $100,000, confinement in the county jail for up to 180 days, or both.

The burn ban lasts for 90 days or until the fire danger recedes.

Anyone with questions about the burn ban should contact the Fire Marshal’s office at 830-643-3748.