I applaud all for taking the time now, before any catastrophe hits, to plan and allocate the resources needed in the area to combat the situation should it occur.
One only has to look at Southern California to see why.
22-county wildfire task force being assembled
-
A 22-county Wildland Task Force is being rushed into action as state and local fire officials become increasingly uneasy with drought conditions in south-central Texas.
The task force, expected to be functional by late fall, is a network of volunteer, municipal, state and federal firefighters that could be quickly mobilized to extinguish wildfires in the region before they become unmanageable.
With the area in a record drought and little rain in sight, the possibility of a major wildfire is becoming more likely with each passing day, said Darren Brinkkoeter, battalion chief with the New Braunfels Fire Department and deputy county fire marshal.
“We have the same potential for a (major wildfire) here that they do in California right now,” he said. “Here in the city the situation is bad. Trees are dying and people are not taking the precautions of making fire breaks around their house.”
The canyons in New Braunfels are of particular concern.
“Two things that accelerate a wildland fire is fuel – what is there to burn, and topography, the lay of the land,” he said. “In those canyons we can’t get to fires.”
He said in the past 10 years, building along the rims of these canyons had effectively barred access by fire engines. Where once the fire department could contain fires in canyons between roads, the new homes are an additional source of fuel that could help fires jump out of canyons.
The Texas Forest Service has reported 13,823 wildfires since Jan. 1, 2009, and had to assist local fire department in 13,048 of them. The fires burned 712,686 acres of land and destroyed 1,187 structures.
A major fire in Bastrop County in late February consumed 1,491 acres, 26 homes and 20 businesses. On March 12, 2006, Texas experienced the largest one-day burning event in the nation when a wildfire east of Amarillo claimed 12 lives and scorched almost one million acres, said Lewis Kearney, public information officer for the Texas Forrest Service.
“Most of 2006 and 2008 were the two worst years in Texas history in terms of numbers of fires and acres lost,” Kearney said.
He said this year, though not as bad, has every potential for a major wildfire.
“If we had some gusty winds, along with the dryness, and we had an ignition in the area it could be a real problem,” he said.
Wayne Ellington, Comal County fire marshal, said it was “very necessary” for south-central Texas to have the task force.
“Trees are dying everywhere and we’re losing moisture,” he said. He recommended residents keep grass in their yard very short and be especially careful when using any kind of heat source.
“Watch the welding, the barbecue pit — we’ve had fires start from cars that have pulled off the side of the road and the catalytic converters have ignited dead grass,” he said. “Right now we are in such bad conditions that any spark, any kind of heat source at all could start a fire, which can grow into a large fire and get out of control.”
