Harris County issued a 90-day burn ban for unincorporated parts of the county on Thursday, September 17, citing prolonged dry conditions and elevated fire risk. ABC13 reports the ban prohibits outdoor burning except where it takes place inside an enclosure that keeps flames and sparks from escaping, and that a violation is a Class C misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $500.
Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen said the county “has received a significant amount of rainfall in the last couple of weeks, but it has not reached all areas of the county equally.”
This matters locally because large parts of the Lake Houston area are unincorporated and therefore covered. Atascocita, Huffman, Summerwood and Fall Creek are unincorporated Harris County. Kingwood is inside Houston city limits and the city of Humble is its own municipality, so burn rules there are set separately.
