UPSHUR COUNTY, Texas — **EDITOR'S NOTE -- the video attached was produced in August 2018.
Upshur County has enacted a burn ban against outdoor burning of any kind effective today.
Judge Todd Tefteller submitted an order prohibiting outdoor burning that could create a public hazard. The burn ban will stay in effect in "the unincorporated areas of the county for 10 days" after the order was submitted, according to the document.
Unless the ban is rescinded in the next 10 days, the burn ban will expire on July 1. Additionally, the burn ban can be extended by the Upshur County Commissioners Court if they deem it necessary.
The document further states that the burn ban does not prohibit outdoor burning activities that are related to public health and safety that are authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. These activities include:
- Firefighter training
- Public utility operations
- Natural gas pipeline operations
- Mining operations
- Planting or harvesting of agricultural crops
- Burns that are conducted by a prescribed burn manager
Those who violate the burn ban can be fined upwards of $500 and be charged with a Class C misdemeanor.