Burn ban lifted in Crittenden County

Burn ban lifted in Crittenden County

Weekend rains put end to dry conditions

ralphhardin@gmail.com The light rain (0.2 inches on the Memphis gauge) began overnight Wednesday into Thursday, and a wet Friday (another 0.75 inches) did enough to assuage concerns over fire hazards, leading Crittenden County Judge Woody Wheeless to lift a burn ban that had been in effect for a little over a week. The countywide burn ban had put Crittenden in line with more than a dozen Arkansas counties.

Wheeless removed the burn ban Sunday afternoon.

“The county wide burn ban has been lifted at this time,” Wheeless announced. “Please keep in mind that it may need to be put back in place if we go without a measurable rain in the near future.”

He added that although the county did enjoy about an inch of rain over the past few days, there remained the potential for fires to spread if left unattended, with temperatures expected to return to the high 80s until later in the week.

“Please be careful if you use fire pits or other types of open fires,” said Wheeless, who also serves as the Marion Fire Chief. “Always have a method of extinguishment ready if the fire were to get out of control.”

Among the factors that led to the ban were sustained dry air and dry vegetation with unseasonably warmer temperatures. The humidity levels have averaged near 25 percent with moderate-tohigh and gusting winds. Lower than normal rainfall in recent months has made for dry ground cover as well, leading to elevated levels for fire danger in grassy and wild land areas.

Rain is in the forecast for most of Crittenden County on Thursday, followed by temperatures closer to the average for this time of year, with highs in the 60s for the weekend.

Photos by John Rech

Off road cyclists grouped together at the Big River Trail before the Gravel Grinder tour. Below: Cyclists gave it the first big peddle push up the Big River Trail during the start of 2016 Gravel Grinder in West Memphis on Oct. 8. About 20 riders made the afternoon run following the 100K Delta Flatlander that morning. (Story on Page 3)

County Judge Woody Wheeless

By Ralph Hardin