Area Fire Chief Says Fire Conditions Are Deteriorating From Bad to Worse
After the Mesquite Heat Wildfires that took place in West Texas a couple of months ago, things are still very questionable when working outside according to some firefighters. Several of the Fire Department's Fire Chiefs are putting the word out "please be very careful when a flame or spark may be involved in the great outdoors."
Gary Young the ECCA Volunteer Fire Departments Fire Chief is wanting all West Texans to understand that "the fire dangers in and around West Texas have gone from bad, bad, bad to worse, worse, worse. Because of the lack of rainfall and or humidity, the fire danger is extremely high now and it doesn't take much for a fire to get started and get out of control."
Young went on to say, "while we can't control lightning strikes or things that Mother Nature may do. We can control fires that are started by flicking cigarettes out of car windows, safety chains dragging the ground when towing trailers, or metal objects that may scrape the ground and spark due to a bad suspension on a vehicle."
Fire Chief Yong says "if you're a smoker keep a half bottle of water to extinguish cigarette butts in.
One recommendation the Fire Chief gave is if you are a smoker keep a water bottle half-filled with water inside the vehicle and use it to extinguish your cigarettes in the bottle instead of throwing them outside of the car window.
Another piece of advice Gary recommended was if you are towing a trailer he said to twist the safety chains several times to keep them well above the ground so they don't spark when you're traveling causing roadside grass fires. Also, avoid parking vehicles in tall grass, because the hot mufflers and catalytic converters are known to start many grass fires as well.
Finally, the ECCA Volunteer Fire Department's Fire Chief would like everyone to remain extremely alert and be on the lookout for anything that could cause a fire. Work with your neighbors, friends, and coworkers to be on the lookout and avoid any more wildfires.