SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Drought concerns are rising throughout Central Florida, and as of Tuesday, officials in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties instituted emergency burn bans in an effort to prevent fires from going out of control.
Officials from the counties said they have reached or exceeded 500 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a measure to determine the severity of drought conditions.
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The burn bans prohibit all outdoor burning that has not already been allowed by the Florida Forest Service. That means no campfires, yard debris burning, or bonfires.
A permanent ban on open burning is in place for Lake County, but authorization is not required to burn yard waste when required setbacks are met and there are no local, city or county ordinances in place to prohibit the burning.
Above-ground charcoal, gas and electric grills are allowed, but the counties are urging everyone to make sure all burn material like charcoal is completely extinguished after cooking and to avoid outdoor cooking methods if you are close to heavily wooded areas.
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The burn ban will be lifted if the drought index dips below 500 for seven consecutive days.
We’ve seen a rainfall deficit across the area since the beginning of the year. Last week our meteorologists reported Sanford has only recorded 3 inches of rain since the beginning of the year, 3.59 inches less than usual.
Orlando has only recorded 1.89 inches of rain since the beginning of the year.
On Tuesday, we have a 20% chance of rain. After that our next chance of rain is 30% on Sunday.
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