Breckenridge firefighters respond to wildfire on Highway 67
By Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan
The Breckenridge Fire Department responded to wildfire off of State Highway 67 shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday evening, June 27, quickly extinguishing the blaze.
The fire was on the south end of property owned by Gary and Roxzann Glick.
Breckenridge firefighter Jon Jackson sprays water on a wildfire in heavy brush off of State Highway 67 Thursday evening. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Gary said he was coming home from work, driving north on Highway 67, and saw the fire but did not have his phone with him. He went home to pick up his phone and keys to the gate and by the time he returned to the scene, Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies had arrived and the firefighters got there shortly afterwards.
The firefighters said they weren’t sure what caused the fire in the remote spot, but the Glicks suspect an electrical transformer in the area.
After a rainy spring, the grass in Stephens County is starting to dry out. The county saw its second straight 100-plus-degree day today, and the forecast indicates daily high temperatures over 100 degrees for the next week. Additionally, the overnight lows are expected to be around 80 degrees.
Due to the weather conditions, the Stephens County Commissioners approved a burn ban for the county on Monday, June 24. The burn ban will be in effect for 90 days, unless lifted at an earlier date, and includes activities such as brush or trash burning.
However, the burn ban does not affect the use of fireworks for Independence Day celebrations or outdoor grilling. Additionally, the burn ban does not prohibit outdoor burning activities related to public health and safety that are authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for firefighter training; public utility, natural gas pipeline or mining operations; planting or harvesting of agricultural crops; or burns that are conducted by a prescribed burn manager certified under the Natural Resources Code.
One of the contributing factors to the decision to enact the burn ban is the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), which has increased locally lately. According to the KBDI website, on June 14, Stephens County had a minimum KBDI of 36 and a maximum of 258 (in a small area in the southwestern corner of the county) for an average of 83. On June 25, the minimum for the county was 189, the maximum was 368, and the average was 232, and on Wednesday, June 26, the numbers had increased to 205 for the minimum, 380 for the maximum and 247 for the average. Today, June 27, the minimum is 221, the maximum is 391, and the average is 263.
Additionally, more of the county is showing to be in the 300-400 range. The KBDI is a calculation used to determine forest fire potential.
Click here to read more about the burn ban and the KDBI.
Cutline, top photo: Thursday evening, Breckenridge firefighters Ben Rotman, left, and Blaine Kayga (in truck) spray water on a wildfire on Highway 67 about 2 miles north of U.S. Highway 180. (Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
