With fewer wildfires expected, officials still urge caution

EDINBURG — Wildfire season returned to South Texas last week with at least three large fires requiring several area departments to extinguish them, including one near San Manuel that torched 205 acres.

Despite that, officials said this wildfire season may be tamer than recent years. They still maintain that people should not let their guard down about the potential for fires to break out, either.

Forecasters expect the Rio Grande Valley to receive normal or above normal rainfall through the spring, said Tom Spencer, who heads predictive services for the Texas Forest Service in College Station. And soil across the Valley remains moist after heavy rainfalls late last year ended the drought.

That means any wildfires that break out will have less opportunity to spread over thousands of acres, as the Burns Ranch fire did in March 2008, destroying four homes and causing about 500 people to evacuate the fire’s path.

However, a freeze earlier this month killed plenty of grassland across the area, creating a ready source of fuel for wildfires.

“It doesn’t really matter if you get a lot of rain or not a lot of rain,” Spencer said. “The potential for the grasses to catch fire is going to be there.”

Hidalgo County allowed a burn ban that lasted most of 2009 to expire in November. Cameron County still has a ban on outdoor burning.

Hidalgo County Fire Marshal Tony Peña said last week’s wildfires are cause for concern, but he is hesitant to recommend another burn ban.

Many people across the county still have large piles of brush from Hurricane Dolly — which struck in July 2008 — that need to be burned, Peña said. The burn ban that lasted most of 2009 prevented people from getting rid of all that brush and debris, he said.

Despite the burn ban, 2009 did not see as many large wildfires as the year before — likely the result of widespread publicity that discouraged people from breaking the ordinance and burning brush or trash outdoors. But Hidalgo County still paid more than $1.2 million last year to local fire departments that responded to fires in rural areas.

If more wildfires breakout in the coming weeks, Peña said he may recommend a new burn ban this year.

Even with a weakened potential for wildfires this year, Peña said people should use caution when burning outside.

“It’s usually the human element that sets these things off,” he said.

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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.

Tips for safely burning debris or brush:

>> Obey all local burn bans.

>> Postpone burning when conditions are dry or windy.

>> Establish wide control lines down to bare mineral soil.

>> Never leave fire unattended.

>> Keep water and hand tools nearby.

>> If you choose to burn trash outdoors, use a barrel and a metal screen to contain the fire and prevent sparks from spreading.