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Hopkins County Fire And Drought Conditions

Hopkins County Fire Department
1286 Texas St., Suite B
Sulphur Springs, TX 75482 (903) 439-6217

Hopkins County Fire Marshal’s office has been monitoring fire weather, fire activity, and drought conditions to determine the need for a Burn Ban. At this time, fire weather has been favorable for grassfires, and there has been a slight uptick in activity. However, none of this is uncommon for this time of year, and there are no reports of fires resistant to control or reports of active to extreme fire behavior with high rates of spread and favorable growth potential in the county.

We are currently monitoring the fire weather, KBDI, Energy Release Component, Burning Index, Fire Danger Rating, and live and dead fuel moisture. The numbers observed and forecasted do not warrant a Burn Ban.

Fire Danger MODERATE Pine  164 ABOVE AVG   
KBDI 716 – CRITICAL Cedar 101 NORMAL
ERC 42 – MODERATE. BELOW AVG. Oak 81 DRY
BI 46 – HIGH Yaupon  167 ABOVE           
SFP MODERATE TO LOW
100 HR

10 HR

Fuel Dryness

ABOVE NORMAL ABOVE NORMAL

ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE

Most of these indices are trending near or below seasonal averages, and the increase in surface moisture does not support high drying of surface fuels. This indicates little to no potential for wildfires with high resistance to control in the near forecast.

As fire activity continues, it’s important to note that your understanding and use of key Size-Up descriptions will be crucial in determining future Burn Bans with any uptick in activity, making you an integral part of the planning process.

It is to include:

Fire Activity
Minimal Low Moderate Active
High Extreme
Fuel Type
Grass Brush Timber
Fire Behavior
Smoldering Creeping Running Spotting
Torching Flanking Crowning Backing
Spread
Low Moderate High Extreme
Growth Potential
Favorable Terrain Driven Wind Driven Fuel Driven

The highlighted terms are the key to understanding and determining the fire conditions during our size up. While these conditions may not be reported during the initial scene size-up, we are constantly monitoring for any changes. This information is crucial for keeping our citizens informed and prepared.

We are asking our citizens to self-monitor burning in the county’s unincorporated areas. We want to remind citizens that if property damage to neighboring properties occurs, the owner of the property where the fire originated is liable for all damages. It is better to call 911 earlier rather than later.