KOUNTZE, Texas — A great deal of Southeast Texas is experiencing a drought, and the dry weather conditions have staff at the Big Thicket National Preserve worried about fires.
Staff at the Big Thicket said the lack of rain has caused a high level of fire danger at the preserve.
Megan Urban is a public information officer for the preserve. She began working at the Big Thicket shortly after Tropical Storm Harvey.
According to Urban, Southeast Texas usually has above average rainfall each year.
“This is the first year that we've really seen it swing the other side,” Urban said.
The dry conditions have Urban worried about the potential for fires in the thicket.
"Locally, we're at a high danger, but the number of fires we're seeing is low,” Urban said. “But if we continue with the not a lot of rain, lot of hot dry days, that could start to see an increase."
Urban is urging those who visit the Big Thicket to take precaution amid the hot and dry weather.
"If you park your car on top of the grass, that hot engine block it could start a fire,” Urban said.
Urban and other preserve staff are asking residents in and around the Big Thicket to clean up any brush piles to reduce the potential for a fire to spread to their home.
“If they have a lot of downed pine trees or even a lot of pine needles, if they move that away from their house that will give them a buffer,” Urban said.
Urban also encourages people to follow any county judge's orders on burn bans. In the meantime, she said she's praying for rain.
"Not a hurricane, just slow steady rain,” Urban said.
Urban said the Big Thicket has still been busy this summer, but staff are reminding people of the fire risk in hopes of avoiding a major burn.