Bring BBQ indoors: Texas county bans grills for July 4

[The Northerner]

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – Light up the grill for July 4 and get six months in jail under stringent new burn rules imposed by one Texas county in response to a devastating and record-breaking drought.

An effort to stem wildfires, which have already taken out millions of acres of ranch land here, has encroached on the unofficial Texas pastime of backyard grilling -- as much a part of Texas as football and pick-up trucks.

Officials in Guadalupe County, east of San Antonio, have issued an emergency burn ban that outlaws "all outdoor flames," said Fire Marshall Kelly Kistner.

"Barbecue grills and pits come under that order as well," Kistner told Reuters on Tuesday. "Everything that would produce a flame outside is covered by that order." So celebrated is the tradition of grilling in Texas that many parts of the state claim the title of "Barbecue Capital of the World," and neighborhoods and employers routinely stage contests to crown the best barbecue.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110607/us_nm/us_texas_bbq

[Avalux]

1. Yep, it's that bad here.

No measureable rain since January. Unless a hurricane comes our way, it's going to be a hellishly hot, dry summer. x(

[csziggy]

3. Same here - if we don't get rain, they will have to ban BBQs

We've been under a red flag warning - no burning - for nearly a month. While there have been some rain showers in the area, none have given us more than a trace of moisture.

[RandomThoughts]

2. Watch the movie Independance day.

And free the world from Ferengi occupation.


More jumpers coming in.

Green Lantern Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hTiRnqnvDs

"You must do this" A great concept, and shows support for self rule.

[petronius]

4. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal,

and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
And there was no barbecue in Texas on the Fourth of July.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Rev. 6:12-17

[Dappleganger]

5. Our NE FL county is nearly at that point.

That's the last thing to go--they just banned all private fireworks through summer. No burning anything except a home grill or a state-erected fire site in campgrounds. We drove home yesterday from central FL through smoke and fog from at least 20 fires.

[tammywammy]

6. It's a serious drought. n/t

[Abq_Sarah]

7. They've done that here in the past

I never took the cover off my grill last summer because of the bans.

[Canuckistanian]

8. Makes sense

We regularly have fire bans here, including outdoor BBQs.

In a drought area, it's a must.

[AsahinaKimi]

9. I have read somewhere...

That in the City of San Francisco, its against the law, to have a fire place going in your house even during cold days. Not sure if this is true, but some how, I don't doubt it.

[Angry Dragon]

10. Many Longhorns will be saved by this ban

[brewens]

11. In Idaho it looks like our fire department guys can take the 4th off.

You couldn't start a grass fire with napalm right now. I heard a couple farmers saying they were going to spray for rust again. They already did but too much more rain washed it off. Rust is a fungus that attacks wheat crops.

[JVS]

12. That's the sad but necessary measure to take when conditions are so dry.

[w8liftinglady]

13. my sister lives in Midland... they haven't seen rain in almost 9 months

Lake Spence is now less than 2% full and has been given only weeks until it's closed for pumping. Without Lake Spence, the CRMWD will turn to the O. H. Ivie Reservoir for the Basin's water.The Ivie currently sits at 28% full, but with no rain, it's predicted to be dried up too by December 2012.

It sucks for them.

[7wo7rees]

14. It's 100 degrees on the first week of June. It'll be 200 by August.

God wouldn't let this happen. Would He?

[surrealAmerican]

15. I suppose this means fireworks are also out of the question.

It's a shame, but better than having the whole place catch fire.

[TheManInTheMac]

16. I'd hate to be the cop

has to go out and enforce this one.

[WolverineDG]

17. It's bone-dry out here

there should be a state-wide burn ban.

dg

[FSogol]

18. Hope the fire department can handle all the carbon monoxide poisoning calls they'll get.

:shrug:

[WatsonT]

19. Cue the reports of asphyxiation and house fires