WHITEHOUSE, Texas (KETK) — Three more East Texas counties put burn bans in place on Thursday due to dangerously dry conditions. Some businesses have to operate differently when the bans are in effect.

“I would say last year was a little more severe than this year,” said Kevin Blake Turman, owner of Wild Horse Welding.  

The summer of 2022 was intense with nearly all East Texas counties remaining under burn bans for weeks. So far in 2023, five counties and counting are taking measures and they’re having an effect.

Turman said these burn bans being in place changes the way he and his team operate.  

“When we’re doing mobile work, it has an effect on us because we have to carry so much more equipment,” Turman added.  

Turman said while getting more rain around the area would also be challenging for his business, this current weather doesn’t help.  

“We don’t want rain when we’re doing mobile work, it stops us from working,” he said. “But we don’t necessarily want it dry either. We don’t want a burn ban either.” 

Turman added that he’s lived in East Texas his whole life and he’s expecting more burn bans to be put in place very soon.

He said that with these bans in place, a lot more effort is put into his daily operations.  

“It causes a little more labor on the job,” said Turman. 

To serve the citizens of East Texas for the foreseeable future and keep his business running. 

On Wednesday, KETK talked to the Rusk County Fire Marshal about them potentially being added to the burn ban list. He said he’s expecting one to be put in place in a week or so depending on weather conditions.