Personal, outdoor burning deemed unsafe in dry, windy conditions

By LORI COPE | East Texas Edition

January 24, 2002 -- If the humidity is below 35 percent, and the wind is over 10 miles-per-hour, don't do any outside burning, a Northeast Texas fire behavior analyst advised.

An onslaught of grass fires in Northeast Texas have been reported since mid-January, mainly because of prime weather conditions and the availability of fuel.

"The key this time of year is grass fuels," noted Brad Smith, a Texas Forest Service fire behavior analyst based in Longview. "Normally we look at live fuel moisture (in predicting the risk for wildfire), but because in the winter the vegetation is dormant and cured out, we don't have a live fuel but a dead fuel - grass."

Even when an area receives some rainfall, Smith said it only takes three or four days for conditions to dry out again.

Winter in Northeast Texas often means dry skin, which is a sign of low humidity; but the season doesn't see many windy days. Recently, though, some days have seen gusts up to 20 mph.

"Conditions change from day to day," Smith said. "Basically when it's dry and windy, watch your outdoor burning. The conditions can catch people by surprise."

Grass fires have been the main type of wildfire experienced within the last several weeks, mainly because the dead grass, which has been cured out by freezing temperatures and frost, are a great source for fire.

"But the fires are not getting large, nor are they hard to control," Smith added. "And fires can run into different fuel types, say a wooded area where the moisture is greater, and a (grass fires) could extinguished itself."

Smith noted that leaves and duff on the ground within a wooded area can hold moisture for a longer time than the dead grass can.

"The winter fire season will last until 'green up' which usually arrives in March. At the first green flush, then the risk for grass fires will drop," he added.

The best advice for those who want to do some outdoor burning is to check the weather. If the humidity is near or below 35 percent, and the wind is close to 10 mph or more, don't burn.