VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County is officially under a burn ban as drought conditions worsen, raising the risk of wildfires and brush fires this weekend.
Officials say this burn ban requires more than the usual precautions.
[CENTRAL FLORIDA DROUGHT: Everything you need to know about burn bans, brush fires]
Fire Chief Joe King said there is an additional challenge residents should be aware of: many plants have died due to a recent freeze.
“There’s people that have yard debris that normally they would burn and right now, the only thing we can tell them is take it to the landfill. Take it to transfer stations, tie it up and see for pickup. You know, you probably don’t want to keep that piled up around your house as well,” King said.
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If you have a pile of debris waiting for pickup but your city’s collection day is still several days away, officials encourage you to bring it to a landfill as soon as possible to reduce fire risk.
The fire chief highlighted that the areas of most concern right now are DeLand, De Leon Springs, and Pierson.
With the drought index expected to rise, residents should remain vigilant and follow burn-ban guidelines to help protect their communities from potential wildfires.
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