CEDAR CREEK LAKE - Burn bans in Henderson and Kaufman counties expired recently, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea to set fires to burn trash, grass, brush or anything else, according to fire safety officials. Burn bans have been in effect in both counties for most of the summer. The Cedar Creek Lake area and the rest of Texas have experienced the driest, hottest conditions seen in a half-century. Seven Points Volunteer Fire Chief A. J. Kirksey said drought and windy conditions in the Cedar Creek Lake area continue to make the starting of fires dangerous, even if the two counties' Commissioners Courts have approved them. If a fire is started, it needs to be monitored closely, he said. "If it is windy, don't burn," Kirksey said in a telephone interview. "Use common sense." Kirksey said residents should be sure not to burn anything that is man-made, such as plastics, rubber, chemicals or tires. People have not been able to burn in a long time so they are more prone to being careless, he said. "It needs to be done wisely," Kirksey said. "Always, no matter what, have someone watching it." Fires should not be started for at least an hour after sunrise, and they must be extinguished at least an hour before sunset, Kirksey said. Several smaller fires rather than one big one should be set when burning a large area to reduce smoke, he said. Kirksey said he had to put out a fire this week that was left unattended when the people who had set it left to go eat lunch. Had he not put out the fire it would have consumed a tractor, a travel trailer and whatever else it spread to consume, he said. The drought has left grass dead and caused trees to die so all of the foliage is easily inflamed and fires spread more rapidly than people sometimes realize, Kirksey said. The Henderson County Commissioners Court allowed the burn ban to expire on Nov. 8, even though the drought index remains high and the fire marshal reportedly said he could not recommend the burn ban be lifted. Commissioners apparently decided to let the burn ban expire because of concerns that by waiting grass and other foliage would be even more susceptible to fire danger as temperatures drop and frosts form. The Kaufman County Commissioners Court rescinded its burn ban on Oct. 31 after reportedly hearing from the fire marshal that all of the county's fire departments supported the plan. Texas law allows only the burning of brush, branches, limbs and leaves that are grown on a specific property. It is legal to haul in foliage from another property to burn in any location. It is illegal to burn asphalt, plastics, rubber, metals, glass, furniture, appliances, paint, painted wood, wood paneling, treated woods and other manufactured items. It is illegal to burn in darkness. Before burning, residents should contact their county's Sheriff's office for authorization if there is any doubt about the practicality or legality of setting an outdoor fire.