With high fire danger forecast across the state into next week, the Garvin County Board of Commissioners approved a 14-day countywide burn ban during their regular meeting Tuesday morning. The burn ban will remain in effect through March 3, unless conditions improve—something that’s not expected to happen until dormant vegetation starts to turn green.
Pauls Valley Fire Chief Scott Woods said strong winds and low relative humidity are forecast for the next 7 to 10 days, increasing fire danger across the area.
“The vegetation is still dormant and with the high winds that we’re having, and the low humidity, it dries that out,” Woods said.
While parts of the county saw more than two inches of rainfall over the weekend, county officials said that ground moisture doesn’t have much impact on dry, dormant vegetation this time of year and can actually complicate fighting wildfires that may occur.
“Now instead of being dry, it’s wet and it burns on top of the wet and firefighters get stuck,” County Commissioner Mike Gollihare said. “It’s the worst thing in the world, because what they call the head of the fire, you can’t catch it because of the mud.”
Woods said we’ve had several significant grass fires in the county over the last two weeks, including a fire along Highway 29 east of Elmore City on Feb. 10 that burned 158 acres and another just north of Pauls Valley along State Highway 19 on Feb. 2 that burned 150 acres.
At least eight fire departments from the region assisted in battling the Elmore City fire, and 13-15 departments, including some from McClain, Murray and Pontotoc counties assisted in battling the Pauls Valley fire, according to Woods.
There have also been multiple smaller fires, burning between 20 and 40 acres, around the county in recent weeks, Woods said.
Garvin County has been experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions since late 2025, with half of the county falling into the latter category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report issued Feb. 12.
Wildfires in the Panhandle and northwestern Oklahoma burned more than 155,000 acres Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, state officials said those fires were only 20 to 25% contained.
As of press time Wednesday, Garvin County was was one of six Oklahoma counties with an active burn ban in place. All six of those were put into effect between Tuesday and Wednesday.
The burn ban resolution approved by Garvin County commissioners Tuesday prohibits all outdoor burning, including campfires and burning trash or brush piles.
The burn ban includes allowances for agricultural producers using prescribed burns to manage cropland and pastures, requiring them to follow Oklahoma Forestry guidelines outlined in state statute.
Penalties for violating the burn ban can include a fine of up to $500 and up to a year in jail.
Fire officials are also asking residents to avoid any activities that could spark a fire, to properly dispose of cigarettes and refrain from parking vehicles on dry grass. Additionally, officials advise anyone who sees smoke or fire to call 911 immediately.
Read the burn ban resolution here.
