By Morgan Montalvo
WOAI News
Bexar County's Fire Marshal is urging extreme caution when cooking outdoors this closing Fiesta weekend.
Chris Lopez says the Texas Forest Service's severe fire risk advisory for Bexar and surrounding counties will last at leas through Saturday. Lopez says barbecuing, backyard parities around fire rings, and trash or agricultural burning pose the biggest risks to life and property.
He says authorities issued the advisory as soon as gusty winds across the area began drying out residual moisture from undergrowth and soil, creating perfect conditions for a wildland fire in rural, as well as urban areas that are clear-cut or overgrown urban area.
Vehicles, Lopez said, pose a fire risk if idling in high grass or weeds, where hot exhaust systems or a catalytic converter can spark a blaze in just a few seconds
.Lopez says property owners can minimize the risk of a grass or wildland fire by keeping adjacent green areas watered, and never leaving outdoor cooking fires unattended. Authorities are strongly urge not conducting any trash or agricultural burns until the severe fire risk advisory expires.