Published: January 02, 2009 10:51 am      

County is ripe for grass fires

Three years ago today, parts of the county went into emergency mode as devastating fires broke out in neighboring Montague County.

Widespread grassfires affected parts of Nocona, Ringgold and other communities Jan. 2, 2006 and local agencies such as hospitals and churches were ready to receive the victims.

According to multiple reports, the city of Nocona, with more than 3,000 residents, was evacuated, as were persons living in surrounding communities.

Cooke County Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Fletcher said it was a dangerous time, and although it’s been dry lately, he doesn’t think 2009 will come close to 2006 for fire danger.

“I think I heard last night that they were down approximately 7 inches (of precipitation) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,” he noted. “We’re probably a little less than that.”

He said things are not as bad as they could be.

“We’re a lot better off than we were three years ago when we had 40-mile-an-hour winds and 3 percent humidity days,” he said. “We’ve got some winter grass out there, a little bit of green. A lot of farmers have their winter wheat. Three years ago many of them were on their third planting.”

Fletcher said there have been some fires, but not a large number.

“They’ve been out there. I think Muenster had one this week, about a 5-acre fire, and Callisburg’s had some. In general everyone is doing a good job and obeying the burn ban,” he said.

One person who isn’t enjoying the burn ban is Rosston resident Dylan Robertson.

He and his friends like to camp out on the hill behind his grandparents’ house and build a big fire in a metal fire pit the 22-year-old built just for that purpose.

“It’s safe. It’s not going to get out and start a fire,” Robertson said of his campfires. “But I don’t do it because I could get a fine.”

Fletcher said campers must obey the burn ban just like everyone else in the county.

“Any outdoor fires are against the burn ban. That includes camp fires,” he said.

Cooke County Sheriff Mike Compton said residents seem to be taking note of the ban against outdoor burning.

“Everybody’s doing real well. We haven’t filed any charges (for burn ban violations),” he noted.

Fletcher said it is “hard to say” how much rain it would take to turn things around and get the burn ban lifted.

“We’ve got to have considerable consistent moisture back in the ground,” he said.

According to the US Drought Monitor — a map designed to illustrate climate conditions and point out areas of drought within the United States — far north Texas is an “abnormally dry” region.

The closest areas of “extreme” or “severe” drought danger are well south of Cooke County.

Some tips for preventing grass or wildfires include keeping property free of debris such as trash, branches and leaves, completely extinguishing all tobacco products before discarding them in containers designed for that purpose, avoiding driving in high grass (vehicle parts can heat up and start fires in grassy areas) and keeping a supply of water and a fire spotter nearby when working on outdoor projects during which sparks could be created.

Other states are also taking wildfire danger seriously.

The Bureau of Indian affairs erected fire danger signs along Oklahoma interstates and highways warning residents that high winds and dry conditions are the perfect atmoshere for grass and other wildfires.