Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the Florida Forest Service urge Floridians to exercise caution due to significantly heightened wildfire risk throughout the state. While Florida has received recent rainfall, drought conditions throughout the state are expected to continue. The Florida Forest Service has battled over 700 wildfires across the state in 2018.
“Florida’s wildland firefighters have proven time and again that they are prepared to put their lives on the line to keep Floridians safe,” said Commissioner Putnam. “Floridians can do their part by keeping preventable human-caused wildfires at bay and preparing their families and homes for wildfire.”
There are currently 41 active wildfires throughout Florida. Most of the wildfires this year have been caused by escaped yard trash burns.
“Many wildfires this year have unfortunately been human-caused,” said Jim Karels, Florida State Forester. “It’s imperative that Floridians are cautious with fire to help protect Florida’s residents, natural resources and wildland firefighters.”
Visit the Florida Forest Service’s wildfire information webpage to view an interactive map of current active wildfires, drought and fire danger forecast information, and a list of current county burn bans. Floridians can also download the Florida Forest Service’s “FLBurnTools” app to access wildfire conditions in real-time. Prescribed burn practitioners can also use the app to plan and submit authorization requests. The app is now available in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres. Learn more at FloridaForestService.com.
For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com
