Dallas

Rainless Days; Dry and Windy Conditions Create Fire Threat

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a Red Flag Warning and Wind Advisory for most North Texas counties.

The weather alerts were issued at 9 a.m. and run until 6 p.m. as winds were expected to gust at more than 35 miles per hour, but stay steady out of the northwest at 25 mph.

A Red Flag Warning is used when there is extreme fire conditions. In addition to the strong winds, the relative humidity must be low and there must also be dry vegetation.

Any fire that breaks out could spread quickly, the weather service warned.

As NBC 5 first reported on Sunday, a Fire Weather Watch has been declared for Dallas, Fort Worth and most of North Texas for Monday.

Firefighters across North Texas, including the Fort Worth Fire Department, are keeping a close watch on the changing conditions.

"Right now, we're monitoring the situation and the weather conditions," said Lt. Kyle Falkner. "We're weighing all those factors in deciding whether or not to alter our staffing levels."

The Fort Worth Fire Department has about 200 firefighters on duty every day. 

"A fire that any other day would move slowly and could be easily contained will now require additional resources and man power to get under control," Falkner said. "With the high winds that are expected and the very low humidity, any grass fire that starts has the potential to rapidly spread."

Fire departments across the Metroplex have similar plans in place.

Residents are urged to heed warnings and avoid outdoor burning, as well as properly dispose of cigarette butts. 

At Fort Worth Fire station 23, crews were ready to respond to any brush related calls if they happened. However, there were no reported grass fires in Fort Worth on Monday.

NBC 5's Chris Van Horne contributed to this report.

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