Cooke County and southern Oklahoma counties under outdoor burn bans amid drought

By GvilleTX Newsroom

Outdoor burning is barred in Cooke County and in several counties north of the Red River. The Texas A&M Forest Service's Aug. 21 map listed Cooke County among the Texas counties with established burn bans, and Drought.gov reports that all of Cooke County's population lives in an area affected by drought.

In southern Oklahoma, commissioners in Bryan, Carter and Stephens counties barred outdoor burning on Monday, Aug. 17, the same day the Tishomingo and Ravia fire departments worked a grass fire on West Rock Creek Loop in Johnston County. The Tishomingo Fire Department said on Facebook that a downed power line started the fire, and posted later that it was out and crews had cleared the scene.

The Bryan County ban covers the whole county and is set to lift at 9 a.m. on Aug. 31. Carter County's runs seven days. The Stephens County sheriff's office posted a 14-day ban. Oklahoma Forestry Services' burn-ban data layer also carried county bans for Carter, Love, Marshall and Stephens counties, with Aug. 17 edit timestamps.

Those orders come from elected county commissioners rather than a state agency. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture's burn-ban guidance says a county ban can run no longer than 14 days, and that burning in violation can bring a fine of up to $500, up to a year in jail, or both.

Oklahoma Forestry Services counted 40 of the state's 77 counties with burn-ban resolutions on file as of its Aug. 21 update. The Texas A&M Forest Service map of the same date listed 176 counties with established bans, Cooke and Grayson among them. That agency says it displays the information daily but does not put bans in place or take them off; in Texas the authority rests with county judges and commissioners courts. Grayson County's outdoor-burning guidance says its Commissioners Court can approve a ban for up to 90 days when drought-related wildfire threat puts life or property at imminent risk.

Drought and heat form the backdrop for the bans, according to Drought.gov and National Weather Service data. Drought.gov reports that drought affects every resident of Bryan, Carter and Cooke counties, and ranks last month as Cooke County's 61st-driest July in 132 years of records. The same source shows roughly 95 percent of Oklahoma's land area in drought, with close to 9 percent rated exceptional.

The National Weather Service forecast for Bryan County called for highs near 105 Sunday and about 108 Monday, with heat-index values reaching 110 Sunday evening. The U.S. Drought Monitor outlook has the South staying below normal on rainfall over the next five days and favors below-normal rain over much of Texas from Aug. 25 to 29, with temperatures well above normal over much of the country.

One practical note for anyone checking a map before lighting a burn pile: Oklahoma Forestry Services posts resolutions it receives by 4 p.m. that same day, and anything arriving later the following day. A county's decision can be in force before the map shows it.