ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida is under dry and dangerous conditions. Several counties still have burn bans in place as drought conditions continue across the area, and officials say the rain that fell this weekend did little to help.

What You Need To Know

Volusia, Osceola and several counties remain under burn bans despite recent rainfall
Fire officials say consistent, substantial rain is needed to ease drought conditions
Orange County prohibits outdoor burning year-round
Officials warn Central Florida could see its most active wildfire season since 2017

Sirens echoed through one Orange County neighborhood as crews responded to a brush fire.

“I wasn’t scared or anything, just shocked because that sort of thing doesn’t happen in my neighborhood,” said Dame Looby, an Orange County resident.

When Looby saw smoke rising near her Orange County home last week, she knew it wasn’t routine.

“There were fire trucks that were here, they were already down the hill,” Looby said.

That fire is one of several that have broken out across Central Florida during these dry conditions.

In Volusia County, officials announced Saturday afternoon the burn ban remains in place, even after rainfall. Osceola County is also still under a burn ban.

“We’re going to need a substantial amount of rainfall on a consistent basis for us to even get out of this drought. If we don’t get out of this drought, we’re looking at the possibility of a very high fire activity,” said Cliff Frazier, Fire Mitigation Specialist.

In fact, Spectrum News 13’s Weather Experts say in order to effectively combat the drought, the region would have to see 21 inches of rain over the next three months and nearly 38 inches of rain over the next six months.

“We’re anticipating this to be a very active wildfire season. We haven’t had one on this scale since 2017,” Frazier said.

Orange County Fire Rescue says crews have responded to multiple brush fires in recent days and remain prepared for additional calls. The county has an existing ordinance that already prohibits burning year-round.

“Which essentially means no outside fires, bon fires, yard waste, yard trash,” said Orange County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Antonio Demings.

Officials say quick response is critical, especially when vegetation is this dry.

“We provide brush trucks, we have tools on the brush trucks,” Demings said.

For Looby, she’s keeping an extra eye on her neighborhood and surrounding areas.

“I just thank God that none of the houses were damaged in anyway and everyone is safe,” Looby said.

Officials are urging residents to clear dead debris from around their homes, keep lawns maintained, and call 911 immediately if they see smoke or fire.