The East Texas Burn Ban List Continues To Grow

Summer still has a strong hold on East Texas and with no rain in the immediate forecast, more counties are enacting burn bans.

Temperatures continue to soar late into the summer season and with afternoon high temperatures topping off near 100 degrees, vegetation around this part of the country is drying up quickly. Henderson and Rusk counties were among the first in East Texas to issue burn bans around August 20th. Gregg County is the latest county to enact a burn ban on outdoor burning. The Gregg County Fire Marshal's Office issued the burn ban today (Wednesday, September 4th).

Burn bans are now in place for the following counties:

• Gregg County
• Rusk County
• Anderson County
• Marion County
• Upshur County
• Henderson County
• Harrison County
• Kaufman County

You may be fined for outdoor burning if restricted within your county.

At the Tuesday Smith County Commissioners Court meeting, KLTV 7 reports, Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks did not recommend a burn ban for Smith County at this time but due to an expected drop in the humidity levels, he anticipates a burn ban for the county to be issued within a week.

Even if your county is not under a burn ban right now, it's recommended to hold off on burning until more favorable weather conditions arrive. If you must burn outside, please do not leave a fire unattended and have a descent water source readily available to put out a fire in case it gets out of control.