Wildfire Conditions & Burn Ban FAQ

firefighter walking through smoke
 

The Florida Forest Service is the lead agency for the suppression of wildfires. Learn the most current information on the status of wildfires throughout the State, from the Florida Forest Service.

View several suggestions which you can implement immediately to protect your house from wildfire.

View information on how to make your home FireWise.

What is a burn ban?

A burn ban prohibits all bonfires, campfires, and outdoor burning of yard debris within City limits. It is based on information from the Keetch-Bryam Drought Index. 

The Keetch-Byram drought index (KBDI) is a continuous reference scale used by the Division of Forestry for estimating the dryness of the soil and duff layers. The index increases for each day without rain (the amount of increase depends on the daily high temperature) and decreases when it rains. The scale ranges from 0 (no moisture deficit) to 800 (extremely dry). The range of the index is determined by assuming that there is 8 inches of moisture in a saturated soil that is readily available to the vegetation.

For different soil types, the depth of soil required to hold 8 inches of moisture varies (loam=30", clay=25" and sand=80"). A prolonged drought (high KBDI) influences fire intensity largely because more fuel is available for combustion (i.e. fuels have a lower moisture content). In addition, the drying of organic material in the soil can lead to increased difficulty in fire suppression.

High values of the KBDI are an indication that conditions are favorable for the occurrence and spread of wildfires, but drought is not by itself a prerequisite for wildfires. Other weather factors, such as wind, temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric stability, play a major role in determining the actual fire danger.

Water restrictions in place until March 31, 2027

Under the Level III water restrictions with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, lawn watering is limited to no more than once per week through March 31, 2027.

  • The standard watering days schedule based on addresses ending in:
    • 0 or 1 shall only water on Monday
    • 2 or 3, on Tuesday
    • 4 or 5, on Wednesday
    • 6 or 7, on Thursday
    • 8 or 9, on Friday along with locations with a mix of addresses or for which an address cannot be determined (such as common areas associated with a subdivision)
  • Watering hours are reduced to 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.; properties less than one acre in size may only use one of these windows.
  • Low-volume watering (micro-irrigation, soaker hoses, hand watering) of plants and shrubs (not lawns) is allowed, but is limited to the hours of before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

 

 

 
Wildland fire danger index

The Florida Forest Service uses the Wildland Fire Danger Index (FDI) for estimating the potential for a fire to start and require suppression action on any given day.

It does not consider how quickly any fires that do start will grow, or how difficult they will be to suppress.

 

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