Garvin County entered its fifth consecutive week under a burn ban Monday, as heat and dry conditions across the state continue to keep wildfire risks elevated.
The Garvin County Board of Commissioners approved another 14-day burn ban resolution during this week’s regular meeting, extending a resolution that was set to expire. The resolution is the third to be approved since mid-August.
The most recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the entire county is experiencing severe drought conditions, with roughly the western third of the county in extreme drought.
Those drought conditions extend statewide, with Oklahoma marking its third-warmest and fifth-driest August on record.
According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, the western portion of the county has received less than a tenth of an inch of rain over the last 60 days, while scattered rain showers brought less than half an inch of rain to eastern portions of the county last week.
As of Wednesday, 58 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties were under a burn ban.
Garvin County’s burn ban resolution prohibits all outdoor burning including campfires, bonfires and burning of trash. Outdoor cooking is permitted in a gas or charcoal grill “when conducted over a non-flammable surface and at least five feet from flammable vegetation.”