TAMPA, Fla – Hillsborough County issued an emergency burn ban Monday, which will remain in place for at least seven days.
After seven days, officials will reassess the situation and could decide to extend the burn ban.
“We are on high alert for our drought conditions for potential wildfires,” Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Public Safety Information Chief Rob Herrin said.
By the numbers:
According to the burn ban, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index is a soil moisture measurement where a measurement of 400 means there is “significant danger of fire.”
Hillsborough County’s current measurement is 603 and “has remained above 500 for the month of November,” according to the executive order.
What You Need to Know:
Under the burn ban, fire pits, bonfires, trash burning, and fireworks are not allowed.
“No campfires (or) any kind of recreational fire that you might do with your family this weekend — it’s just too dry for that right now,” Herrin added.
The good news is: You can still fry that Thanksgiving turkey, and you are allowed to fire up the grill.
“We ask that you stay by it the whole time,” Herrin said.
Dig deeper:
In addition to grilling, there are two more exceptions to the burn ban:
Certain agricultural enterprises in eastern and southern Hillsborough County can dispose of agricultural plastic through controlled burns.
Burning that has been specifically allowed by the Florida Forest Service.
Burning of agricultural plastic, which is used to suppress weed growth and help retain soil moisture, is allowed on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Farmers are required to always have a field supervisor on-site during the burning, the county added.
The Source: Information in this article was gathered by FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.