High temperatures and drought conditions fuel fires across North Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - High temperatures and drought conditions are continuing to fuel fires across North Texas.
The Fort Worth Fire Department has seen a 780% increase in grass and brush fires compared to last July.
From July 5 to the morning of July 22, they've responded to 467 grass and brush fires. During the same time period last year, there were 53.
"Firefighters are very resilient, but I will tell you, they've been very busy this year," said Craig Trojacek with FWFD. "Last year, we saw quite a bit of rain and this year, we've not seen any. So once this stuff starts turning dry, just little things set it off very quick to where it gets out of control."
Firefighters expect the number of grassfires to keep rising in the coming days and weeks.
There are some steps you can take to make their job a little easier right now:
- Keep your grass cut short
- Remove or reduce the amount of brush or combustible material around your home or business
- If you're outside cooking, make sure you've got a hose or fire extinguisher on hand just in case an ember blows out
- Be mindful of anything that could cause a spark on the road, like a discarded cigarette or chain dragging from a trailer
"When everything's nice and green, it's not that big of a deal," Trojacek said. "But in conditions like this, those sparks can go off into the grass and then can get something going very quickly."
Trojacek urges people to check on their neighbors as well to see if they need help reducing fire hazards around their house.
"They may be older in age or have some medical conditions, so they can't get out and do this stuff we're telling them to do in the heat," he said.
Every little bit of prevention makes a difference as firefighters continue to battle these fires in grueling conditions.
"Hopefully will get some rain to kind of give us a little bit of a break, but this is what we do and we love it," Trojacek said.
The Fort Worth Fire Department responds to more than 400 calls every day.
The current uptick in grassfires doesn't hinder their response time, but they do have to make sure additional units are available to keep up with the volume.
