Burn ban issued for multiple cities in Polk County due to dry conditions

Polk County issues burn ban for drought conditions

FOX 13's Carla Bayron spoke with fire officials about how you can minimize the risk to your property during the current burn ban in Polk County.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Unincorporated areas of Polk County, along with other cities within the county, are now under a burn ban as dry conditions create an increased risk of brush fires.

When does a burn ban take effect?

By the numbers:

County officials say the burn ban ordinance takes effect when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) meets or exceeds 500 across at least 50% of the county.

The KBDI continues to climb as it rose another four points on April 16 to an average of 507 across Polk County. The percentage amount above the 500 threshold in Polk County now sits at 59%.

The burn ban includes all of unincorporated Polk County along with multiple municipalities: Auburndale, Bartow, Dundee, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Lakeland and Winter Haven.

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"It's a tinderbox right now in the state of Florida," said Chief Shawn Smith of Polk County Fire Rescue.

By the numbers:

So far this year, Polk County Fire Rescue has responded to 179 vegetation brush fires. Last year, they responded to 583 brush fires, which burned 12,000 acres, and during peak wildfire season, which is April, May and June, they responded to 263 brush fires; almost 50% of the total volume.

"If you decide to have a fire and it gets out of control, you call 911 and we issue our response to get out there – as dry as conditions are – the fire increases and escalates very rapidly," said Smith.

What's included in the burn ban?

Dig deeper:

The burn ban prohibits:

Campfires
Bonfires
Unpermitted controlled burns
Burning yard and household trash
Burning construction debris
Burning organic debris
Igniting fireworks
Noncommercial burning of materials other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, in which case they must be contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit, and the total fuel area cannot exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height.

Officials say anyone who violates the burn ban may be fined up to $500 and/or sentenced to no more than 60 days in jail.

What you can do:

Before smoke is in the air and fire is on the ground, homeowners should be doing things to protect their homes.

"The big thing is to make sure gutters are cleaned out and roof is cleaned off and that you've got the branches around the roof area," said Todd Chlanda, a wildfire mitigation specialist public information officer with the Florida Forest Service. "And you want to keep the zero to five-foot range around the home vegetative free if possible."

What's next:

The National Interagency Fire Center has predicted an "above normal wildfire potential" for this season because of several factors, including leftover debris from multiple hurricanes and forecasts calling for less rain this spring.

Violators of the burn ban could face fines not to exceed $500 and potential jail time not to exceed 60 days. The burn ban will be lifted once county officials deem conditions safe to do so.

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The Source: This story was written with information from Polk County Government and the City of Winter Haven.

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