The burn ban is officially back on after action taken by the Erath County Commissioners Court.
At its regular Monday, Feb. 9 meeting, the court received information from Erath County Emergency Manager Chris Brooks who said they had responded to seven fires over the weekend, however, the fires were not spreading quickly.
“I’m kind of on the fence. We ran seven calls yesterday [Sunday] but nothing was really running on us,” Brooks said. “We went to absolutely the furthest place in the county where there was nothing up there, no one around, no telling how long this fire had been burning, and it went right up to the tree line and stopped. We had 10 minutes of good, live fire extinguishment and then three hours of mop up. It’s going to be a judgment call.”
On social media, Brooks said county officials had been called out for not putting the burn ban back on.
“Reality is, you have to be accountable for yourself at some point,” Brooks said.
County Judge Brandon Huckabee said it was an extreme measure for the government to tell someone what to do.
“There is a need for it, from time to time,” he said.
Huckabee said every day he gets a report from Brooks, County Fire Marshal Tommy Shelton and the area fire departments regarding conditions.
“We have been in the lowest rating you can be from the Texas A&M Forest Service for quite some time for our burn risk. We did have an uptick in fires yesterday, but I leave it up to the commissioners,” he said.
Huckabee said there was nothing more that he hated than putting it on, and then taking it back off because it leads to confusion.
“We spend more resources going to ‘fires’ and calling out volunteers then we would if it wasn’t on when we go to a halfacre fire. It is a balancing act. I appreciate the concern the citizens do have for it,” he said.
Commissioner Jim Buck said this time of year even when half an inch of rain falls, if wind then comes, the rain doesn’t impact the area enough to prevent fi res.
“Just because it rains doesn’t mean you can’t have a fire,” Buck said. The commissioner referred to a fire on CR 428 which had seven houses on the road within 300 feet of the fire because of the growth being seen in the county.
Commissioner Sherman Edwards said he not a fan of putting on burn bans and then taking them off, but the county has been in low fire danger all year long.
“People have to be selfreliant and think if the wind is blowing, should I be burning?” he asked.
Ultimately, the commissioners put the burn ban back on for 90 days.
The court also heard from Erath County residents Larry Prashcher and Andy Dean in opposition to a new Precinct 3 county barn being built on CR 180.
Both men live on CR 180 and listed numerous concerns in regards to the construction including roadway and traffic safety.
Dean had stated they already had a willing buyer for the county property, and with the proceeds from that along with cost saved from making changes to the county road, the county would be able to find a more suitable location for the new barn.
“It’s just a dangerous situation,” Prashcher said. “It won’t be long until you’re surrounded by houses.”
By law, the commissioners cannot respond to statements issued during public comments.
The court also approved an additional $2,000 budgeting expenses for the Erath County Historical Commission to attend the Real Places Conference in April in Austin. The additional budget would allow an additional person to attend and gain knowledge.
The county also received and opened all bids for road construction materials including: JH Stain & Sons, Inc. Vulcan Materials Company Wright Asphalt Productions, Inc.
U.S. Sand and Gravel Cleveland Asphalt Productions, Inc.
In other business the court: ■ Received a racial profiling report exemption for Precinct 2 Constable (since he did not conduct any traffic stops in 2025)
■ Approved invoices
■ Approved the 2026 Investment policy with no changes Court meetings are held the 2nd and fourth Monday at 9 a.m. in the courtroom on the 2nd floor of the downtown Stephenville courthouse.