Wednesday, July 30, 1997
Area firefighters bracing for start of grass
fires
By JOHN STARBUCK / Abilene Reporter-News
Playing the waiting game is proving to be an unnerving sport
for Big Country firefighters.
With Mother Nature showing the area only the slightest chances
of rain, time will tell if or when the flames of destruction could
begin.
"If we don't get rain within the next week or two, the
potential for fires is going to be real extreme," said Hoss
Smith, president of the Big Country Firefighters Association.
"This Johnson grass out here is head high in places and it's
drying up now, curing out. It's getting ready to burn."
He said that area volunteers have reported battling about 12
grass fires in the last few days that were caused by either trash
burning or other accidental causes.
Using common sense is a must for residents wishing to burn
outdoors.
"If they're going to burn anything, they need to be extremely
cautious - and that includes barbecue pits," said Smith.
"Over the years, we have made a number of fire calls caused
by barbecue pits from people cooking outside.
"They sure don't need to leave anything burning unattended."
While the Abilene area may face fire problems caused by the
recent dry spell, areas to the south and west appear to be in
worse shape.
The Texas Forest Service issued a moderate fire warning earlier
this month for an area stretching from San Angelo to the Permian
Basin.
"This year we're definitely seeing a drying period across
the state," said Mahlon Hammetter, the forest service's fire
prevention specialist. "Conditions are worsening, generally."
The Comanche County Commissioners Court enacted a burn ban
for that county Monday, according to Smith.
Smith said it's important that brush is cleared away from near
homes and buildings and that wood piles are also removed.
Despite a cool front that has crept through the area, prospects
for a good, soaking rain aren't good, according to the National
Weather Service.
The Big Country has a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms today
with the percentage dropping tonight and Thursday.
"It doesn't look like anything on the horizon through
the weekend," said Mike Decker, NWS meteorologist in San
Angelo. "Just our normal summertime weather."
<I>(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)*
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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