Polk County has reinstated a burn ban that had been lifted about three weeks earlier.
Effective May 6, the ban applies to unincorporated Polk County and the municipalities of Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Hillcrest Heights, Lake Alfred, Lake Hamilton, Lakeland, Mulberry, Polk City and Winter Haven.
Polk County officials made the decision based on persistent drought conditions, the county said in a news release.
The burn ban prohibits campfires, bonfires, unpermitted controlled burns, burning of yard and household trash; burning of organic debris, igniting of fireworks and noncommercial burning of materials, other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, not contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit. In those cases, the total fuel area cannot exceed 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height.
The burn ban is determined using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, a continuous reference scale ranging from 0 to 800. It assesses the moisture content from no moisture deficiency (0) to maximum drought conditions (800) of the soil. This helps predict the potential for wildfires, the release said.
A burn ban is issued once more than 50% of the county reaches over 500 on the index. Polk County’s current daily reading is 76% over the 500 benchmark, with a countywide average of 531, the release said.
”Many officials across the county and I have kept track of the countywide KBDI, and we have determined that a burn ban is necessary as conditions have deteriorated to an unsafe level,” Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Shawn Smith said in the release. “We understand that burn bans are inconvenient, but we ask you to think of your family, friends and neighbors as a small spark or stray ember could quickly transform into a large fire because of these dry conditions.”
Anyone who refuses to comply or violates this burn ban can face a penalty of up to 60 days in the county jail and a fine of up to $500.
Polk County announced a burn ban in November and then suspended the order on April 9. After an extension of that pause, the county repealed the burn ban on April 17.
Polk County officials may repeal the burn ban when deemed safe, the release said.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County reinstates burn ban as drought conditions worsen
Reporting by Gary White, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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