Gladewater residents still under burn ban

There’s still an active burn ban within the Gladewater city limits – no ifs, ands or buts.
While Upshur County officials lifted their ban Monday, that only applies to areas that aren’t also part of Gladewater. Gregg County’s ban remains in place as well.
“Things are still in a critical nature right now,” Mike Simmons insisted.
As Gladewater Fire Chief, the decision falls to him whether a burn ban is still active within the city, and Simmons is taking no chances based on data from the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI).
“When we go above 600 on the drought index, maximum 800, that’s significant because we’re in a condition where if a fire starts, live fuels burn,” he explained. “Anything above 600 is when you’re in extreme fire conditions.
“When I checked yesterday, we’re at 741.”
So, there’s no way to forecast when the local ban will be lifted.
“We didn’t get a significant enough rainfall to get that number down, no saturation.”
On Sunday, local firefighters responded to an Upshur County incident after a burn pile got out of hand.
“The winds picked up, and it took off and burned a little over three acres,” Simmons said. “It’s still pretty dry out there.
For those outside the city limits, “If you’re going to burn in Upshur County, burn cautiously and make sure it’s supervised, there’s water nearby and don’t leave burn piles unattended.”