Published: March 14, 2008 11:05 am      

Fire Threat

Heat, winds and lots of fuel spark Red Flag Warning

Today, the heat is on.

Not only are temperatures predicted to climb into the 90s today and Saturday, low humidities and strong winds are expected to create critical fire risk.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect through 9 p.m., with winds of 10 to 20 mph gusting to as high as 30 mph.

Residents are advised to stay alert to weather conditions throughout the weekend.

Despite the good rainfall the area got early in the week, burn bans remain in effect for both Hays and Caldwell counties and “fire weather watches” like the one imposed on Central Texas Thursday are possible anytime the wind picks up.

Particularly in areas where homes interface the wild, like the burgeoning subdivisions in previously rural Hays County, residents need to make sure to remove as much potential fuel as possible, fire authorities say.

“The main thing we try and tell everybody now is don’t burn. Anything you do outside right now has the potential to cause a very large fire,” said Hays County Fire Marshal Carol Czichos.

According to the Texas Forest Service, a “high potential” for wildfires is expected to continue through the end of this month, affecting not only Central Texas and the Hill Country but the northern Hill Country, High Plains and Southern Plains, the fire service says.

Through March, “If the forecast holds, there is a high potential for fire occurrence to exceed local resource capabilities within these regions,” the service says.

According to South Hays Fire Department Chief David Smith, the general rule of thumb for keeping homes safe from wildfire danger is to keep anything likely to combust at a safe distance.

“A lot of people stack firewood near their home but that is really dangerous,” Smith said. Less obvious but equally capable of spreading wildfire are shrubs near structures, high grass outside the yard and leaves caught on the roof and in gutters.

Residents with vegetation near their homes would ideally create a 50-foot zone around the home, Smith said. “You want to go one and a half times the height of the vegetation closest to the home,” he said. Grass within that zone should be kept watered and mowed. Ideally, he added, the area should be planted with ground cover that stays green year-round.

Keeping roof gutters clean is important, he said, because sparks from a nearby wildfire could ignite them. A lot of the fireproofing is just general maintenance, he added.

And while those with lawns backing up to what used to be cow pastures or fields need to be mindful of freeze-dried vegetation, other residents have it worse.

“In the hills it’s even more dangerous than in the farmland — you have to worry about those cedar trees,” Smith said.

“Cedar trees have a lot of natural oils, and when those oils dry and catch fire they will burn rapidly. Some people say it burns like gas. It’s not that bad but it’s pretty intense.”

He said cedar trees also promote the spread of wildfires because the little needles are carried skyward by the fire and can land downwind still glowing.

“That’s’ what you worry about hitting your roof. It’s also what makes it difficult for us to catch a wildfire, it gets jumping and can sometimes jump a half mile.”

Czichos said he’s not planning to rescind Hays’ burn ban anytime soon, noting that conditions are such that the day after a rain, fire is still a threat.

“I’m not going to recommend the burn ban come off anytime soon. Little fronts keep coming through dropping humidities and the winds are blowing.”

Czichos said the sporadic rainfall the area has received “will help us in April and may when green grass starts coming up and putting moisture back in the ground. Until then we’ll be in fire danger.”

For more information on fire danger, visit tamu.edu/ticc

To report a fire, call 911.