Texas

Fire safety tips to keep in mind amid ongoing drought

August 4, 2023
Mia Montgomery

With the ongoing hot and dry conditions found in South Central Texas, fire danger concerns will be elevated at times in the days ahead.

Fire safety will be important in the coming days as the heat and drought drag on
A few safety tips include: avoid throwing cigarette butts out of the window, don’t drag trailer chains, and don’t park recently-driven cars on dry vegetation
The last time the entire KSAT-12 viewing area was drought-free: Early September 2021
No notable rain chances are in the forecast over the next week, just record-challenging heat

Fire danger conditions have already been elevated at times this week, both here in South Central Texas and across the state. In fact, a grass fire sparked up on San Antonio’s east side on Thursday evening, burning 45 acres before crews were able to put it out early Friday morning.

Looking ahead, the Texas A&M Forest Service has placed parts of South Central Texas in the moderate, high, and very high categories for fire danger this weekend:

High fire danger conditions have been placed over parts of South Central Texas this weekend (8/5-8/6), according to the Texas A&M Forest Service

With how dry grasses are, any fire that catches can spready very quickly when combined with breezy south winds and lower afternoon humidity, so it’s best to steer clear of outdoor burning. Check out this Whatever the Weather blog post to learn about what each individual fire risk level means.

If you get a notification on your KSAT Weather Authority App saying that “A Red Flag Warning has been issued for your area”, that is essentially the National Weather Service saying the same thing with a titled product: elevated fire danger conditions are in place, so avoid outdoor burning.

When fire danger concerns are elevated, remember these tips to keep you and those around you safe:

Avoid parking recently-driven vehicles on dry grasses
Don’t throw cigarette butts out of the car window
Avoid dragging trailer chains that could cause sparks
Stray away from welding outside near grass or dry brush
Clear dry grasses and vegetation out from around your home
While it’s best to avoid outdoor burning as a whole right now, remember that most area counties are under active burn bans
If there have been any recently-burned piles, check them for flare-ups

Read more from the meteorologists on the Whatever the Weather page

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Find the latest forecasts, radar and alerts on the KSAT Weather Authority page