Hello burn ban

With hot, dry weather in the forecast for the foreseeable future, the Travis County Commissioners Court has decided to issue a burn ban for the unincorporated areas of the county. Travis County Chief Fire Marshal Tony Callaway noted in a press release, “Fire danger is expected to increase significantly over the next 7 to 10 days as humidity levels drop and rain chances remain minimal. We want to do everything we can to minimize the risk of wildfires, and a new burn ban is a tool we can use to keep our community safe.” The burn ban, which will be in effect until Oct. 26, “does not affect prescribed burns conducted under the supervision of a prescription burn manager. It also does not affect outdoor welding, cutting or grinding operations, and outdoor hot works operations,” as long as workers are following the fire marshal’s guidelines. As always, have water nearby when doing any outdoor grilling or barbecuing. In fact, it’s a good idea to have water nearby when you’re doing anything that involves fire.