Commissioners enact burn ban in Kiowa County

Kiowa County Commissioners enacted a burn ban during their regular meeting on Monday due to extreme fire danger. The ban will last until at least Monday, January 3, when they will revisit the situation and subsequent resolutions may be passed. Under a burn ban, it is unlawful for any person to set fire to any forest, grass, range, crop or other wildlands, or to build a campfire or bonfire or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass, range, crop or other wildlands fire.

According to Police Chief Willie Shaw, individuals in violation of the burn ban in Snyder will receive a warning for their first violation and a ticket for subsequent violations. According to the resolution any person convicted of violation of this ban shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not more than $500, to imprisonment for not more than one year, or both such fine and imprisonment.

There are also now burn bans in Jackson, Caddo, Grady, Custer, Dewey, Blaine, Woodward, Major, and Alfalfa counties. The U.S. Drought Monitor for Oklahoma shows most of western Kiowa County is in a severe drought status along with most of the western quarter of the state. The extreme western portion of Washita County is in extreme drought as is most of Greer County and all but the northwestern portion of Beckham County, all of Harmon County and the southern portion of Tillman County.