East End VFD offer important information regarding burning electric wires, laminate products and other building materials
Monday night at 7:49 PM East End Volunteer Fire Department was called and responded to a residence on County Road 275.
According to a statement, "Upon arrival, we found a homeowner burning what was left of a house that had burned a few weeks ago. Cleaning up a property is not a bad thing but what could be is what you burn. Per the Texas regulations Prohibited Items. Certain items may not be burned: “electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics, non-wood construction/ demolition materials, heavy oils, asphaltic materials, potentially explosive materials, chemical wastes, and items containing natural or synthetic rubber” (30 Texas Admin. Code §111.219(7)). This was an illegal burn due to the materials that were set on fire on purpose. These fires create harmful fumes in the air and over some time can cause health issues if not right then with smoke inhalation".
The department encourages homeowners to research what they are burning beforehand to avoid damage to their health. Items you can burn according to the Texas regulation in certain instances, trees, brush, grass, leaves, branch trimmings, or other plant growth may be burned— provided that the burning occurs on land where the waste was generated, and the burn is done by the owner of the property or someone authorized to do so by the owner (30 Texas Admin. Code §111.209(4)). (information found on www.agrilife.org Texas Open Burning Rules and Regulations).
Due to the violations of the Texas code, East End VFD did extinguish the fire and thanked the Jasper County Sheriff's Office for coming to assist.
The department responded with 2 Engines and 2 brush trucks with 8 personnel.
All images and information credited to East End Volunteer Fire Department