Marion County Fire Officials are urging area residents to use extreme caution if conducting a permitted burn. Fire Rescue Spokeswoman Miranda Iglesias says a Wildland Task Force determined today that the risk of fire in the area is very high.
“We’re not quite at the point where we need to issue any type of burn ban or anything like that, but we are trying to prevent, still, a large wildfire from happening,” she says.
Iglesias says the Task Force will meet again May 27th to reassess the condition in the county, but it would take more than 6 inches of steady rain to really lower the threat. The Task Force, which only meets when there is a heightened risk of fire, has already met once this fire season. Anyone interested in current fire threats and conditions around the state can visit the Division of Forestry’s website at www.florida-dof.com.