Sheriff warns against burning during ban

By Breyana Segura - Chief Staff Writer | March 18, 2025

Seven blazes in five days; conditions ripe for destructive wildfires

The Frio County Sheriff’s Office is warning members of the public that they must obey a burn ban or face fines and penalties imposed on violators during a time when weather conditions are prime for fueling destructive wildfires that may threaten lives and property.
A red flag warning was issued early last week for South Texas, and the sheriff’s office is reporting having responded to seven fires over a five-day period, and five of the fires involved illegal burning.
A 90-day burn ban for Frio County remains in effect until Tuesday, March 25, or until rescinded by the commissioners’ court. Under the ban, anyone wanting to burn domestic waste must first receive a permit from the Frio County judge’s office.
Deputies were dispatched to a grass fire on Wednesday, March 12, five miles east of Pearsall on FM 140 around 6:30 p.m.; firefighters from Pearsall VFD arrived within minutes and were able to contain the blaze.
Thirty minutes later, deputies responded to the second reported fire near the intersection of FM 462 and FM 3176, around 7 p.m. to find a property owner burning trash. Firefighters from the Bigfoot VFD were awaiting deputies but the landowner allegedly did not allow first responders to come onto the property and extinguished the fire.
On Thursday, March 13, deputies were dispatched to a residence on CR 2662, shortly before 9 p.m. when emergency dispatchers received several calls regarding smoke in the area. County deputies issued a verbal warning to a woman believed responsible for having violated the burn ban. The Bigfoot VFD had extinguished the blaze.

Deputies reported two fires in Bigfoot on Friday, March 14, noting that both were a result of illegal burning by residents.
According to a report on the case, a man was using a barbecue pit to burn trash around 8:30 p.m. but had smothered the fire before deputies arrived at the home on CR 2645.
An hour later, deputies were dispatched to the same area of the county along CR 2662 after a couple was observed burning items in the open at the bottom of a hill. The husband doused the fire before deputies left the residence.
On Sunday, March 16, deputies issued citations to two men who likewise violated the burn ban. A report on the case indicates that around 8 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a home on FM 462 to discover 46-year-old Jose Escareno Cavazos burning trash. Cavazos reportedly admitted he knew burning trash was prohibited but ‘did it anyway,’ according to the sheriff’s office.
Cavazos received a citation.
Moments later, a responding deputy was dispatched to a nearby fire nearby on CR 1670, where 34-year-old Jesus Barriga Estrada was issued a citation for burning.
Violations of the burn ban are punishable as Class C misdemeanors, subject to a fine of up to $500.
“People do not understand how dry conditions are and the slightest mistake can cause a major problem,” Frio County Sheriff Peter Salinas said. “Even if someone takes all the precautions there are to take, a fire can get out of control within seconds.”