BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — Central Texas and the Brazos Valley face a high wildfire risk due to dry conditions, prompting local and state officials to urge precautions and prepare firefighting resources.
- Dry conditions have created a "tinderbox" environment, where even small sparks can ignite wildfires.
- Governor Abbott has declared disaster zones in 146 counties, including Brazos county and surrounding areas, due to the fire threat.
- The Texas A&M Forest Service has mobilized over 300 firefighters, aircraft, and equipment to be ready for potential fires.
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Central Texas and the Brazos Valley are currently facing a high risk of wildfires, as dry conditions have created a "tinderbox" environment.
"So currently it is a tinderbox. Any little thing right now could start a fire, a grass fire, a wildfire, anything from throwing cigarettes out the window to mowing grass and hitting rocks — any little thing that could cause a spark could cause a wildfire right now," said Jason Ware, the Brazos County Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator.
Local officials, including Ware and his team, are urging the public to take precautions to prevent fires.
"Keeping the grass short, making sure that anything that could ignite, like piles of firewood for the winter or anything like that, that are stacked next to structures are cleared out," Ware said.
"Any brush that's up near any of the structures or a house or something like that is cleared out."
In response to the growing threat, Governor Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations for 146 counties, including Brazos, Grimes, Milam, and Robertson counties, citing the imminent risk of wildfires.
"It's what some people would call beautiful weather because it's sunny and relatively dry and no rain — but of course, if that lasts for too long, you start having all the stuff that's on the ground dry out," explained Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon.
"So that increases the risk of fire danger because it's one of the ingredients — it's the fuel that fires need to feed off of."
Nielsen-Gammon emphasized that conditions are unlikely to improve until significant rainfall occurs.
"Rain is the main factor that'll end things — unfortunately, the outlooks don't look promising for the next week or two," Nielsen-Gammon said.
"We're going to have to worry about it, especially when we get a strong cold front with strong winds, because that makes fires really hard to fight if it comes through dry."
To combat the wildfire risk, the Texas A&M Forest Service has mobilized more than 300 firefighters and support personnel, 18 firefighting aircraft, and over 35 fire engines to be on standby.