South Trail Fire responds to illegal barrel fire during Lee County burn ban

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

Smoke filled the air Tuesday morning along Scott Lane near Plantation Road after someone set an illegal barrel fire. Fortunately, the fire is out, but it could have spread quickly with our dry, windy weather.

The South Trail Fire Protection & Rescue Service District responded to an illegal outdoor burn Tuesday around 9:30 a.m. South Trail Fire said a neighbor called after seeing smoke.

"They were burning yard waste. It's just very important to us to know that that small task, even though it was inside of a metal barrel when it was contained, it still creates embers, it still creates a danger," said Amy Bollen with South Trail Fire Protection & Rescue Service District.

Gulf Coast News spoke to the man who started the fire in the barrel off camera. He said he didn't realize he was doing anything wrong. However, a burn ban is in place for fires just like this.

"It definitely takes a lot of education and reminding for people," said Bollen.

Gulf Coast News has been staying on top of the burn bans, including the one in Lee County. This means no one should be burning anything outside during the burn ban.

Amy Bollen with South Trail Fire says the lack of fire hydrants in the area off Plantation Road can make the firefight that much more challenging.

"So a single engine, they will have 750 gallons of water on board, which seems like a lot, but in reality that is empty in the first few minutes of a fire. So we need multiple engines to come in," said Bollen.

Bollen says there are a few simple steps you can take to protect your home.

"So always keeping 30 ft of defensible space. The wind pushes leaves and sticks and all that dry brush around you. You want to make sure it's not on top of your roof, inside of your gutters, and making sure that we've picked up our yard," said Bollen.

Bollen says first-time offenders are usually given a warning. However, repeat violations can escalate quickly, as the Lee County Sheriff's Office can step in and issue a ticket.

Lee County commissioners voted Tuesday to extend the burn ban.

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