MAGNOLIA, Texas -- Rural hurricane victims are setting fire to deal with massive stacks of hurricane debris, prompting a health warning about the heavy smoke that is swallowing neighborhoods in Ike's aftermath, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

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Burning Debris Causes Health Hazard: Stephen Dean Reports

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"The smoke was so thick, you could only see about a quarter-mile in front of you," said Magnolia resident Bob Rogers. "You certainly couldn't sleep. A lot of people were having trouble breathing."

Montgomery County fire officials have been bombarded by calls as people struggle with the heavy smoke coming into their bedrooms at night.

Assistant Fire Marshal Scott Burlin said, "With all the electricity out, people are sleeping at night with their windows open, and so it's pretty difficult to sleep at night with smoke wafting through your house."

He said outdoor burning can be barred by law only during times of drought, so the county issued a plea to residents on its Web site asking them not to burn the debris Hurricane Ike left behind.

"People are lighting their burn piles off all over the county, and they're huge piles and there's lots of them," Burlin said. "The smoke from the burning piles of debris are causing pretty much a health hazard throughout the county."

Residents reported watering eyes and scratchy throats in other rural areas of San Jacinto, Polk, and Liberty counties, as well.

"My horses have been coughing because of all the smoke," said Rogers, who is a veterinarian.

As head of his neighborhood's civic club, he responded to complaints by following trails of smoke and asking neighbors to put the fires out. He said, "Everybody was very nice. They just didn't realize that that smoke wasn't going up. It was staying here and bothering their neighbors."

The assistant fire marshal urged residents to wait for cleanup trucks that will begin picking up debris at curbside beginning Friday.

"We are asking people in Montgomery County to please not burn your debris piles," he said.

County crews were scheduled to begin roadside cleanup on Friday in Precincts 2, 3, and 4 on Friday, followed by Precinct 1 on Monday.

Rogers said he was hoping people would abide by the message.

"It makes it real hard to sleep because you can't breathe," he said.