Comal County Fire Marshal Kory Klabunde said the burn ban remains in effect despite light misting and drizzle Thursday and today.
By state law, the county uses the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) to determine whether an area is in drought.
“Today’s KBDI is 599,” Klabunde said. “That is almost 100 points above when the burn ban would be put into effect. While it may seem safe to burn since it was a little wet, as soon as the moisture stops, the grass completely dries out again. That, combined with low humidity and higher wind speeds, causes a very dangerous situation for our county.”
County commissioners implemented the burn ban Aug. 23 after the KBDI rose to 544 points.
By law, burn bans are issued when the KBDI reaches 500. They remain in effect for 90 days unless the county receives a significant amount of rainfall and the KBDI drops below the 500 threshold.
The drought index measures soil dryness based on rainfall, air temperature, and other meteorological factors and ranges from 0 to 800 points.
Klabunde said the burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including burn barrels, fire pits, burn rings, and campfires.
Barbecue pits are allowed for cooking purposes only as long as they are off the ground and have a lid to contain all sparks and flames.
Is there anyway a person can be notified if burn ban is lifted, it’s been raining off and on for about a week.
Comal County posts updates on its Facebook page or you can visit mycomalcounty.com and click on the Fire Marshal’s page.