Forestry Officials: Don’t Burn Today

January 17, 2009

Officials with the Florida Division of Forestry’s Blackwater Forestry Center are advising the public that outdoor burning Saturday should be conducted with extra care or postponed, if possible, due to low humidity and winds.

“At this time of year and for the next several months, even after recent rain, it only takes a couple windy days with low humidity to dry out accumulated dead leaves, grass, pine straw, and other fine fuels. This makes it easy for a fire to escape and spread rapidly. It’s better to wait until humidity rises and the wind dies down,” according to Ben Wolcott, operations administrator for the Division of Forestry,

“If you must burn, it’s your responsibility to have the necessary manpower and equipment to control the fire, and remember, if the fire escapes, you may be responsible for the cost of putting the fire out and for damage to the property of other persons,” Wolcott added.

In 2008, 171 wildfires in Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties consumed just over 1,736 acres.

For more information about outdoor burning rules, contact the Florida Division of Forestry at 850-957-6145 or visit www.fl-dof.com.

Comments

One Response to “Forestry Officials: Don’t Burn Today”

  1. Nikki on January 16th, 2009 7:41 am

    I bet by Sunday we will see brush fire pictures on North Escambia because some redneck will burn the trash anyway,.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Archive