ROBERTSON COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — A burn ban in Robertson County remains in effect, according to Robertson County Emergency Management.
- The ban will mean the Texas A&M Bonfire for Friday will not happen. But the Stack Site will be open to visitors on November 29, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- According to the Bonfire Facebook page, the final logs will be placed Tuesday evening to complete the 2024 season.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“Everybody wants it to burn, but we understand that we all have responsibilities to the people around us,” Red Pots Advisor, Dion McInnis said.
Robertson County Commissioners voted against lifting a burn ban, which means the annual off-campus bonfire is now postponed.
“There's not a whole lot of people who are very upset about it because they know we're out here doing what we have to do and we're making the right call to the community,” Senior Red Pot, Mason Taylor said.
Due to drought index numbers being unsafe, Robertson County will not issue any burn permits for outside burning until conditions improve.
“We do know now that the drought index number is far too high, and we are prepared to let everybody know that there is a burn ban still, and quite frankly, there should be,” McInnis said.
Dion McInnis is a red pot advisor for the A&M bonfire.
He tells15ABC this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
“In 2010 and 2011, there was a historic drought across Texas and bonfire was one of the impacted elements of that drought,” he said.
And while the decision is disappointing, the safety of our neighbors is more important.
“You get the disappointment at first, oh, we're not going to get to have the big, you know, and the crowd's going to be in town and all these people are going to be here, but then there's that pride and that honor and distinction when you recognize that you're not going to fly off the handle, you're not going to do something that disregards the real danger."
