Jim Wells County lifts burn ban after recent rainfall improves fire conditions

Brush piles, pasture trimmings and storm debris can go back on the burn schedule in Jim Wells County, where recent rainfall eased outdoor fire conditions enough for officials to lift the ban. The change gives rural property owners and ranchers a practical reset after weeks of waiting on safer weather, but county leaders are still warning that one dry, windy day can quickly undo that relief.

Jim Wells County Emergency Management Coordinator Lance Brown said the county checked the Keetch-Byram Drought Index before moving ahead. Brown said the index fell to 301 after the rain, down from 668 before the rain and below the 500 mark officials were using as a guide for burn-ban decisions. That drop signaled enough improvement to allow limited outdoor burning again, even though the broader drought picture across the Coastal Bend remains serious.

The county’s prescribed-burn rules still apply. Before any fire starts, residents must notify the Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher at 361-668-0341. Burns must be attended for the full duration, and weather has to cooperate: relative humidity must be above 30 percent, wind speeds must stay at 20 mph or below, and the starting temperature cannot top 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Burning is also prohibited on Red Flag Days, and the county requires a mobile water system capable of holding and pumping at least 100 gallons of water.

For people in rural parts of the county, that means cleanup jobs that have been delayed can move ahead again, from clearing brush and managing land around ranch operations to disposing of yard waste left after storms. The added caution, though, is that dry grass, heat and wind can still turn a small fire into a fast-moving problem. Brown said the county still hoped for more rain and would keep watching conditions closely.

The lift comes after a stretch in which Jim Wells County had stayed under burn restrictions repeatedly. The county approved a burn ban effective Nov. 22, 2024, then approved another county-wide burn ban on March 13, 2025. In 2022, officials used a voluntary burn ban while warning of very dry conditions, expanding drought, stronger winds and little to no rainfall.

Even with the county easing up, drought remains a live issue in the region. On April 21, Alice city leaders extended a local disaster declaration because severe drought continued to affect the Coastal Bend, and Jim Wells County’s April 24 commissioners court agenda includes consideration of a local state of disaster declaration tied to drought conditions affecting public health, safety and water supply.