Garvin County will remain under a burn ban for two more weeks.
The Garvin County Board of Commissioners Monday renewed a previous 14-day burn ban, first issued Aug. 17.
Since the ban was enacted two weeks ago, Garvin County Deputy Emergency Manager Jamey Meadows said there have been 28 grass fires in the county and 12 burn ban violations reported.
While most of Garvin County is experiencing severe drought, the western edge of the county is in extreme drought, according to the Aug. 27 map from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The 28 grass fires reported in the last two weeks have occurred in locations across the county, including on the “greener” eastern side, according to Meadows. Many of those fires have been attributed to accidental ignition from sources such as farm machinery, vehicles or equipment igniting dry vegetation.
Ten of Garvin County’s 12 fire departments were represented on the Garvin County Task Force that assisted with a large grass fire near Velma, in neighboring Stephens County, last week that resulted in evacuations in that area.
As of Monday morning, 52 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties had an active burn ban resolution in place.
The Garvin County burn ban resolution passed Monday will extend through Sept. 14. It prohibits all outdoor burning including campfires, bonfires and burning of trash. It does allow for grilling in a gas or charcoal grill with the proper precautions, and state law includes exceptions for agricultural producers who need to use prescribed fire to manage land resources, provided proper paperwork and procedures are followed. More information on prescribed fire can be obtained from the Garvin County Extension Office or the Oklahoma State Forestry Department.
Click here to view the full burn ban resolution, the Oklahoma Forestry Services map of counties currently under a burn ban, and the Aug. 27 U.S. Drought Monitor map for Oklahoma.
