County burn ban to expire
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

The Henderson County burn ban, started around February eight, will expire on Friday, March seven. The issue will not appear on any March seven agendas and the matter will be delayed until at least the Tuesday, March 11 Commissioners' Court meeting.

Jerry West, precinct four County Commissioner, said the old burn ban, started in February, expired on Tuesday, March 4.

"Judge Holstein signed an emergency declaration dated February 29 that went for seven days," West said.

This emergency declaration essentially extended the burn ban, which prohibited all outdoor burning. The declaration also proclaimed a state of disaster for Henderson County to continue for seven days starting at February 29.

The burn ban threatened a fine of up to $2,000 for violating the burn ban. While gas grills were allowed by the ban, any other type of grill was prohibited, even charcoal grills.

West said in order for the ban to be extended again without an inter

mission, the Commissioners' Court must have put it on the Friday agenda, which did not happen.

"Even though we had rain," West began, "with wind like it is the stuff on the top dries out real fast. Until we get green stuff like weeds it's going to be a little dangerous."

Scott Martin, firefighter for West Side Volunteer Fire Department, said the ban that is now on its way out could not have been overemphasized.

"An ember can carry for ten miles in the air," Martin said.

Martin also said while the burn ban was in effect, many people ignored the ban and burned trash or used outdoor fires in other ways.

"We had five in our district last Friday night issued tickets for violating the ban," Martin said on Tuesday, March 4. "We had six more on Saturday and four more on Sunday."

Martin also said though the minimum fine for violating the burn ban is $250, depending on the judge and the mood of the day, the fine could easily be pushed closer to the $2,000 maximum for the first offense.