Fire danger in North Texas expected to jump from 'high' to 'very high'
FERRIS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — The threat of wildfires in North Texas is now a daily occurrence due to the drought conditions.
Even though some in the Metroplex got rain, it wasn't not enough to leave a dent in the dry conditions.
For weeks, fires have ignited around North Texas. This past week alone saw flames engulf homes in Balch Springs and grass fires in Fort Worth.
"Been doing this for about 25 years and I haven't seen anything to this magnitude," said Ferris Fire Chief Brian Horton.
In his city, they saw a couple fires this past week. Luckily there was only damage to one building.
"Obviously for the conditions that we are experiencing right now, every time the tones go off we almost anyways knows it's some type of grass event," added Horton.
The Forest Service forecasts the fire danger in North Texas to jump from high to very high by Sunday.
Tarrant County issued a disaster declaration due to the severe drought conditions, giving the county more financial assistance to help battle these fires.
In Dallas, the city told CBS 11 that during this dry period if someone calls 311 to file a complaint about dry weeds that appear to be a fire hazard, they get priority.
In Glenn Heights, a fire burned through roughly 200 acres and sparked back up again on Saturday, but fire crews were able to contain it.
Horton urges everyone to watch what they are doing. "Do we need to be burning our trash in a barrel right now? I get we have some tall grass and some weeds and stuff but it's not going anywhere, there's a time and place and right now may not be the best time to take care of that."
He said watering around your house helps and recommends trying to use non-mechanical ways of maintaining your property, like using clippers instead of a lawnmower.
Horton said this helps them out and protects your community.
"I can't express to you enough how tired - wherever you are, wherever you can hear me - your fire department is tired, they're exhausted. They're always ready to do what they need to do, but they're tired," said Horton.
