Cherokee County added to wildfire disaster list

Cherokee County was just added to Gov. Rick Perry's request for Presidential Disaster Declaration as the danger of wildfires continues.

In his letter to President George W. Bush, Gov. Perry said that 75 Texas wildfires have burned approximately 70,000 acres. A Presidential Disaster Declaration makes those counties eligible for financial assistance from the federal government.

Currently, Cherokee County is not under an outdoor burn ban, although most counties west have similar orders in place.

Rusk Fire Chief Jack White thinks that Cherokee County was added to the growing list as a preemptive strike.

"Truthfully, right now we are about where we would expect to be (with rainfall)," he said. The Keetch-Byram drought index, which is the universal scale for measuring moisture in the soil, is in the upper 200s to the lower 300s.

"This scale runs from 0 to 800, with 0 representing wet and moist soil and 800 is a severe drought," said Mr. White.

In his years at the Cherokee County Extension Service, Mr. White said the worst KBDI index he has seen for Cherokee County is 650- 700.

"The real danger right now is from wind," he said. "We have a lot of dead or dormant grass right now, and it can hold only 30 percent moisture. When the sun dries it out, we'll have a lot of fuel soon."

Mr. White said he has witnessed situations where the fire department has extinguished a grass fire, only to have it re-ignite the next day with high winds. His advice to persons living in rural areas: "Don't burn right now."