Volusia County Fire Rescue Issues Burn Ban
From
City of Lake Helen
Sent
Tue, Apr 15 @ 4:02pm
Description
Volusia County Fire Rescue has issued an outdoor burn ban due to unusually high drought indicators. The ban, which will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, applies to the county’s unincorporated areas, Oak Hill, Lake Helen and Pierson.
Under the burn ban, all outdoor burning, unless authorized by the Florida Forest Service, is prohibited. This includes the burning of yard trash, household paper products, bonfires, campfires, warming fires and cooking fires. Outdoor cooking done with a contained gas or charcoal grill (excluding a fire pit) is permissible under the ban.
According to Volusia County Fire Chief Joe King, the burn ban is necessary because of severe drought conditions. Volusia County’s Keetch-Byram Drought Index is 517. The drought index measures soil dryness on a scale of 1 to 800, with one indicating saturation and 800 being desert-dry.
Violations of the ban are punishable by a fine up to $500 and/or imprisonment in county jail for up to 60 days. Personnel from Volusia County Fire Rescue will issue violation notices to any person violating the burn ban and also will extinguish any fire not authorized by the Florida Forest Service.
Fire officials urge residents to be cautious with outdoor activities and offer these wildfire safety tips:
Practice wildfire safety
• Do not discard cigarettes from moving vehicles.
• Do not park a hot car or operate all-terrain vehicles on dry grass.
• Check lawnmowers and farm equipment for properly working spark arresters.
• Extinguish fires when cooking outdoors, and never leave fires unattended.
Protect your home
• Allow a 30-foot buffer of non-combustible material around your home.
• Clean the roof and gutters regularly.
• Teach family members how to use a fire extinguisher. Test smoke detectors regularly.
• Rake leaves and dead limbs and twigs. Clear flammable vegetation.
• Have a garden hose long enough to reach any area of your home and property.
This notification was posted by City of Lake Helen. City of Lake Helen is solely responsible for this notification and unless specifically indicated, no other community or individual utilizing Savvy Citizen is sponsoring, responsible for, or endorsing this notification.
