The rain made a big difference in the active wildfires -- the Pine Pond Fire went from 65 percent contained Thursday to 85 percent contained Thursday night. But emergency management leaders around Central Texas say while it is good to get rain, we have a ways to go before the fire risk drops.
Friday looked very different in Central Texas, then it had the weeks prior -- from the Pine Pond Fire in Bastrop County to the San Gabriel Fire In Williamson County last month, firefighters have been working against the heat and the drought.
“It's been a challenging fire season, to say the least,” said Chief Chris Connealy, senior director of Emergency Service in Williamson County. “The drought has really exacerbated conditions and so the rain is very welcome, but we still have a long ways to go.”
Some people are getting ahead of themselves -- the rain we have gotten so far is not enough to lower the fire risk. “Please do not burn. we had someone that yesterday actually started a burn pile because they thought it was raining and we're just not there yet,” said Rachel Neutzler, spokeswoman for Lake Travis Fire and Rescue.
They are also keeping an eye on the lake levels. “So, for the lake levels we actually need the rain to fall in certain places so that it does flow into the lake and bring those levels back up,” she said.
But no matter where you are in Central Texas, the message is the same. “Unfortunately, we've been in a drought for so long that we're going to need more than we received yesterday, but it was a welcome sight,” Neutzler said. Travis, Williamson, and Bastrop counties expect to keep their burn bans in effect for the time being. It is still too soon to weld or has a firepit. “It’s a start but the ground is so dry that it’s absorbing it,” said Chief Connealy.
Now that there may be standing water outside of your home, it will not hurt to check and dump it out, to prevent the coming mosquito invasion.