Illegal burn prompts permit reminder within city limits, dangers of open burns

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Firefighters are reminding residents of the dangers of burning within city limits after multiple calls for a controlled burn kept fire engines busy over the weekend.

On Friday, a controlled burn in a field near Boonville Road and University Drive sent smoke into the air, triggering a response from the fire department. This is where crews discovered an open burn happening without a permit.

“We had to go out and respond to that fire many times just to check on it. Kept putting more water on it to make sure that it was put out. And so again that took up a fire truck many times within that day,” Chris Lamb with the Bryan Fire Department said.

Even without a countywide burn ban, openly burning within city limits is illegal without approval. Residents can apply for permits to open burn, which helps the fire department know how many resources to send to calls and also comes with some rules.

“One of those rules is to have somebody on site the entire time that that burn is going on so that if those wind conditions do change out of nowhere or something changes that makes that fire unsafe,” Lamb said. “That’s extremely important to go through that process for many reasons, the biggest one being just public safety alone.”

Lamb said fire marshals are investigating the incident and believe even if the developers of the land had applied for a permit, it would have been denied due to dangers involving nearby structures that include a senior living facility.

City burn permits can be filled out here. Rules for burning with an approved permit can be found at the bottom of the application.

Below are examples from the City of Bryan for outdoor fires that do not require a permit: Ordinance Chapter 42 and IFC 2021 Chapter 3

Recreational fires may not contain electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics, construction or demolition materials not made of wood, heavy oils, asphaltic materials, potentially explosive materials, chemical wastes, or items containing natural or synthetic rubberAll recreational and portable outdoor fireplaces shall be constantly attended until the fire is extinguished.A minimum of one 4-A portable fire extinguisher OR other approved on-site extinguishing equipment, such as dirt, sand, water barrel, garden hose or water truck shall be available for immediate use.

Any fire within the Bryan City Limit that does not qualify as a Recreational Fire, Portable Outdoor Fireplace, or Open-flame Cooking Device will require a burn permit.

KBTX reached out to the developers of the land and did not hear back at the time of publishing.