Comanche County Extends Burn Ban Amid High Fire Risks

The Comanche County Board of Commissioners has extended the county Burn Ban by one week. On Monday, March 9, Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management announced that the Burn Ban was extended for Comanche County due to persistent extreme fire danger.

The county commissioners first enacted the Burn Ban on Feb. 23 and was set for 14 days. The Burn Ban for Comanche County has now been extended for another 14 days, unless extended again by the Comanche County Board of Commissioners.

All prohibited activities within the Burn Ban will continue to be unlawful in Comanche County.

All prohibited activities within the Comanche County Burn Ban will continue to be unlawful during the extension, including the following:

• Outdoor burning of any kind is prohibited during a Burn Ban, including but not limited to, the burning of grass, brush, trash, campfires and bonfires.
• The use of fireworks is prohibited during a Burn Ban, including the ignition of fireworks.
• Residents should refrain from any actions that could produce uncontrolled open flames, including but not limited to, tossing lit cigarettes, parking on grass and dragging truck chains.

Any violations to the Burn Ban in Comanche County could result in a $500 fine or jail time.

Some activities will still be allowed during the extension of the Comanche County Burn Ban.

As with the prohibited activities, there are a few actions that will still allowed during the Burn Ban extension in Comanche County, only if conditions permit.

• Residents of Comanche County can still utilize charcoal, propane and natural gas grills. All grills must be operated over non-flammable surfaces and five feet away from vegetation.
• Certain types of welding and cutting operations can still operate, but only with fire suppression and wind limits.
• Approved public fireworks displays will be allowed, but only with proper authorization.

The Burn Ban in Comanche County applies to all areas of the county except federal land.

For more information about the Burn Ban in Comanche County, contact Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management at 580-355-0535 and follow the department on Facebook for the latest updates.

READ MORE: Five Ways Oklahoma Residents Could Accidentally Start A Wildfire

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous publication of this article stated that the Burn Ban in Comanche County had been extended by one week. This article has since been corrected to reflect that the Burn Ban in Comanche County was extended by 14 days.