COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Based on current fuel and weather conditions, The Texas A&M Forest Service has lowered its Wildland Fire Preparedness Levels from Level 2 to Level 1.
In late February of this year, parts of Texas were experiencing elevated wildland fire activity, particularly in the Panhandle and across south and west Texas, raising levels from one to two.
A Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson says with more moisture on the ground, conditions improved.
“This was a result of the increased rainfall that we’ve had, the decrease in wildfire activity, and we were able to release all the aircraft out of state so based on that, that kind of triggered our lowering of the preparedness level,” said Erin O’ Connor, lead public information officer, Texas A&M Forest Service.
The Wildland Fire Preparedness Level scale ranges from 1-5 with 5 being the highest level of wildland fire activity across the state.
Level 1 indicates there is minimal drought and normal fuel moisture and minimal fire activity.
Texas A&M Forest Service has lowered the Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to Level 1 due to continued rainfall and a significant decrease in wildfire activity across the state. All aircraft have been released from the state. For more, visit https://t.co/4wbAPHFEvb. pic.twitter.com/ocitl0cfhg
— Incident Information - Texas A&M Forest Service (@AllHazardsTFS) May 15, 2023
O’Connor says for any potential wildfire activity to spark again, surface vegetation would need to be dried out—which could take upward of four to five weeks, but with more projected rainfall, our grounds should hold up moisture pretty well over the next few weeks.