Burn ban snapshot

Due to wildfire conditions locally, Cherokee County leaders on Aug. 6 initiated a burn ban, and was extended the ban another 90 days during their regular meeting Aug. 11 in Rusk. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service – the state’s lead agency for wildfire response that maintains a network of strategically placed personnel and equipment for efficient, effective response – Texas’ current Wildfire Preparedness Level is at Level 3, on a scale of 1-5. “Preparedness levels 1-5 are planning assumptions and actions dictated by fuel and weather conditions, current and expected wildfire activity, regional preparedness levels, and fire suppression resource availability in state,” according to the tfsweb.tamu.edu site.