Kerr leaders to lift burn ban in flood 'affected' zones on Friday, April 24

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An image of flames features the test "Kerr Leaders Lift Burn Ban in Affected Zones."

The ban on open-air, open-flame burning will be lifted across all of Kerr County, including in any zones previously identified as “affected” by the July 4, 2025, flood disaster, effective at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 24.

Most recently on April 3, all four precincts in the county had lifted the burn ban due to recent heavy rains. However, while the burn ban has been lifted and reinstated numerous times in areas considered “unaffected” by the flood, the ban had been held in place in the areas identified as “affected”– those properties near and along the Guadalupe River -- until proper searches of the debris could be conducted.

Now, just over 9 months since the flooding disaster claimed the lives of 119 individuals including Cecilia “Cile” Steward and Jeffrey Ramsey, who have yet to be found, state agencies leading the search-and-recovery operations have decided that the multiple passes they have made through those affected zones have been sufficient to clear and release the areas.

“With the rainfall we’ve been fortunate enough to receive recently and with the many meticulous searches of the affected zones having been conducted over the better part of a year, we feel that now is the right time to lift the ban on all affected zones,” said Kerr County Commissioner (Pct. 4) Don Harris.

Local leaders working in-step with state and federal partners by the end of July 2025 had identified 10 different zones leading west to east along the Guadalupe River through Kerr County and labeled them as the “affected” area. A burn ban was put in place to prevent any changes to the landscape where authorities knew that numerous extensive, meticulous searches would need to be made. Those searches have been performed and those areas are now cleared for debris burning by property owners.

“The careful work has been done, and now it is time to let those property owners go about the business of clean-up and healing,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly.

Any resident who wishes to burn brush while the ban is lifted must inform their nearest volunteer fire department, as well as the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.