Released by the Florida Forest Service …
SOUTHPORT, Fla. – Officials with the Florida Forest Service are urging everyone to be cautious if they plan any outdoor burning this Memorial Day weekend.
“A prolonged dry spell has put the Florida Panhandle at an escalated risk of wildfire.” said Mike Mathis, Forestry Center Manager for the Chipola Forestry Center. “The longer and hotter days create a combination that allows fire to spread very quickly.’
While there are no burn bans in place for Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Walton and Washington counties, the Florida Forest Service urges residents to exercise caution while burning outside.
A few safety tips include,
- never leaving a fire or heat source unattended and completely extinguishing until it’s dead out.
- Follow the required setbacks and be extra cautious as low dry conditions and higher temperatures can cause a fire to escape quickly.
- Always keep a charged water hose handy to douse any fire that might flare up.
- Call 911 immediately if your fire escapes for quick firefighters’ response.
- If your fire doesn’t meet setbacks or if it escapes, you could be issued a Notice of Violation and possibly incur suppression charges.
- Suppression charges can range from a couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests.
The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres.
Learn more at FloridaForestService.com.