The Lubbock County Commissioners Court has issued a burn ban for the unincorporated ares of Lubbock County. The ban is effective starting Friday, April 20th and will last 90 days.

This burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning and it may be enforced by any duly-commissioned peace officers. It will be a violation of this order if anyone burns any combustible material outside of an enclosure which serves to contain all flames and/or sparks.

A fine of up to $500 will be given to anyone knowingly or intentionally violating this order.

Any person under this current Burn Ban is allowed to conduct outdoor Hot Work if the operations are performed in compliance with the following requirements:

(A) Areas where welding, cutting or grinding operations or hot works operations are being performed are free of vegetation for at least twenty-five feet in all directions;

(B) Surfaces around welding or hot works area are wetted down;

(C) Each location where welding, cutting or grinding operations or hot works operations are being performed must have cellular telephone communications for emergency response;

(D) Before beginning any operations, the person performing the welding, cutting or grinding operations or hot works operations must notify the local fire department or Emergency Services District which serves the location where the welding, cutting or grinding operations or hot works operations are planned.  (Parties will need to contact the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center at 806 775-1600 for this notification)

(E) A dedicated fire watch person attends each welder, cutter, grinder, or worker performing hot works operations or any activity that causes a spark;

(F) At least one (1) water pressure fire extinguisher per fire watch person is located within 10 feet of the location where welding, cutting or grinding operations or hot works operations are being performed;

(G) No welding, cutting or grinding operations or hot works operations is allowed on days designated as red flag warning days by the National Weather Service;

(H) If all welding, cutting and grinding operations or hot works operations are performed only in a total welding or hot works enclosure, or "welding box" or "hot works box", that is sufficiently high to control sparks, including a fire retardant cover over the top, the operations must comply with requirements E, F, and G in this list and is encouraged to comply with requirements A-D inclusive, if feasible and appropriate, and;

(I)  If all welding, cutting and grinding operations or hot works operations are performed only in sub-surface, or "bell hole", welding and grinding operations or hot works operations within approved excavations, the operations must comply with requirements E, F, and G in this list and is encouraged to comply with requirements A -D inclusive, if feasible and appropriate.

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