A brush fire near a Bullard subdivision on July 4 was prompted by fireworks, officials said. On July 19, Smith County is under a red flag warning and officials say it should be taken very seriously. Weather conditions have created a perfect environment for fires to spread rapidly, so extreme caution should be taken.

Smith County and other parts of East Texas have been placed under a red flag warning, meaning weather conditions are favorable for rapid fire growth.

Low relative humidity, high winds and hot temperatures are expected in the next 48 hours, which is not a good combination according to Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks.

Brooks said moisture in the air will help control flame growth but when that moisture is gone, high winds could accelerate and spread flames, causing an extremely dangerous situation. 

Humidity is expected to be below 20% and high winds gusting as fast as 25 mph.

Brooks said residents need to be extremely cautious in all activities today and understand this warning is a “very serious situation.”

“These weather conditions create a complete problem for our area,” Brooks said. “Fire crews have been notified to be on high alert and they will have to be very careful if they address any fire. They will have to make sure they don’t get themselves in a situation they can’t get.”

Brooks said areas where there is grass overgrowth and woods are the most propense for rapid fire growth.

Unlike in states like Colorado and California, where red flag warnings are very  common, it’s less common to see this in East Texas and during this time of year. However, Brooks said he expects to see this warning again Wednesday and a couple of times in August.

“Looking at the forecast I would guess the warning would stick through tomorrow just because we will have very similar weather conditions,” Brooks said on Tuesday.

As far as the rest of the week, Brooks said they will keep monitoring conditions with the National Weather Service to determine what is causing the winds and when they expect them to subside.

The NWS Shreveport issued the warning after it said Smith County has the following:

• Ten-hour fuels of 8% or less. This parameter describes how much water is held by small vegetation such as grass, leaves, and mulch that take only about ten hours to respond to changes in dry/wet conditions.
• Relative humidity (RH) less than 25% for several hours. RH depicts how much water is in the air, relative to the temperature of the air.
• Winds 20 feet off the ground of at least 15 mph for several hours.

Brooks urged residents to keep following the burn ban guidelines and warned them that the fire marshal’s office will take any violation very seriously.

He said those who cause fires that damage properties will be cited for reckless damage or destruction. Additionally, he said those who intentionally cause a severe fire could be potentially looking at arson state charges as well.

A burn ban issued earlier this month in Smith County is in place for at least 90 days, prohibiting all outdoor burning. Other East Texas counties also have active burn bans, including Cherokee, Gregg, Upshur, Wood and more.