LAWTON – Despite the weekend rain, Comanche County’s burn ban will remain in place for at least two more weeks.
The Comanche County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to extend the ban on outdoor burning for 14 days. The commission will revisit the issue at the Sept. 6 meeting.
The recent rain was helpful, but it wasn’t enough to justify lifting the ban, said Emergency Management Director Clint Langford.
“While it looks really great, it doesn’t end the drought,” he said. “The grass is already dormant. Give it a couple of days, and we’ll be back to burning conditions.”
Langford said he took a vote of the county’s volunteer fire chiefs Monday morning, and only three of them voted to lift the ban while the others wanted to leave it in place.
As long as the ban remains in effect, people may not set fire to wildlands, build campfires or bonfires, or burn trash or other material that could cause a fire. Fireworks are outlawed for the duration of the ban.
Exceptions to the ban include:
• Road construction equipment which uses propane or other controlled burners is considered safe. However, operators should have a water pumper handy whenever the equipment is used near a grassy right-of-way.
• Welding, cutting torches and grinding are allowed if they are conducted over a noncombustible surface of at least 10 feet, and if welding blankets or screens are used to cover combustible vegetation.
• Charcoal grills, liquified petroleum gas and natural gas grills in a grilling receptacle are allowed, as long as grilling is conducted over a nonflammable surface and is at least five feet away from flammable vegetation.
• Agricultural producers who are burning cropland, rangeland, forests or pastures to manage their property must follow Oklahoma Forestry Service guidelines.
Anyone who violates the ban could be required to pay a fine of up to $500, serve up to a year in jail or both.
In other business, the commission:
• Approved an agreement with Steve Smith, owner of the Yorktown Farms subdivision, to complete about 3,000 feet of road and 250 feet of cul-de-sacs in the subdivision.
Smith will pay the county $62,207.94 to cover the cost of materials, labor and equipment.
• Acting as the Comanche County Facilities Authority, the commission approved an agreement with the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Health Care System to provide iPads to the Comanche County Detention Center.
The iPads, which will be provided at no cost to the county, will allow the Veterans Affairs Health Care System to communicate with veterans housed at the jail who may have health care concerns.