Lee County enacts burn ban amid drought, effective Tuesday

LEE COUNTY, Fla.—Lee County is joining its neighboring counties in Southwest Florida, as county commissioners have enacted a burn ban, effective Tuesday.

Commissioners met on Tuesday and enacted the ban for unincorporated Lee County and municipalities, effective immediately, due to increasingly dry conditions throughout Southwest Florida.

According to the county, the ordinance bans “outdoor burning ignition sources,” including campfires, bonfires, and trash burning. Grills for food are not included. 

Officials ask all county residents to be mindful of dry conditions and to use good judgment to mitigate the potential for significant wildfires.

WINK News spoke with the Cape Coral Fire Department about the dry conditions.

"When we have that dry rainy season, we have a lot of fuel for those brush fires," said Andrea Schuch, public information specialist for the Cape Coral Fire Department. "We're also having a lot of wind right now. The wind is really a concern, because if you do have a tiny fire, it can become a large fire very, very quickly."

Schuch explained that even small actions could spark a fire in these conditions.

"If you're riding an ATV, or you park your car on the grass on the side of the road, or you throw a cigarette out the car window, those sparks, though they may be small, because we are in such dry conditions, can actually ignite a fire," said Schuch.

This ban does not apply to prescribed burns authorized by the Florida Forest Service, authorized public fireworks displays permitted by Lee County and other government agencies, and fireworks sales authorized by state laws.

County officials will continue to monitor drought conditions and provide updates regarding the burn ban whenever they become available.