KINGSVILLE, Texas — Back on March 30, the huge 60 thousand acre King Ranch fire started. The fire danger at that time was extreme. Those super dry conditions helped to fuel and push that blaze to continue for days.
Right now, with many people heading out to shoot fireworks on this Fourth of July, the fire danger for most of our area is moderate. Still, a number of counties such as Kleberg County have put bans into place on aerial fireworks.
Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid explained, ”We actually put out a county resolution against aerial fireworks here. You can’t sell them, you can’t purchase them and you can’t pop them. I mean we’ve been in a drought and it’s dangerous out there. We’ve got to look out for our neighbors now it’s not the time to start catching fires.”
The King Ranch fire is still fresh on the minds of County officials who are asking people to use fireworks responsibly. Madrid said he wants everyone to remember that conditions are still dry outside.
"We had a horrible burn season on the King Ranch, the Borrega fire. We’re not about to let anybody be in danger and if you’re going to do it, go out to the beach somewhere where it’s legal. But not in Kleberg County. Sorry about that," Madrid said.
However, if someone decides to go ahead and disobey the aerial fireworks ban then Kleberg County Sheriff Richard Kirkpatrick said residents could at the very least be looking at losing some cash if they're caught.
"At some point if we encounter a fire, there is issue which threatens life and property and that sort of thing, we are probably going to have some enforcement action that will probably hit you in the pocket book," Kirkpatrick said.
The easiest thing to do in Kleberg County is to watch the fireworks show at the navy base. It’s free to the public and residents won’t have to be worried about property damage.
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