Burn ban in effect for Collier County

Published:
Burn ban
Credit: MGN

The Board of County Commissioners has authorized a burn ban in Collier County.

This decision came after Collier County officials deemed certain environmental conditions were met. In this case, it was dry conditions.

The decision was made with the Collier County Emergency Management Department, Florida Forest Service, Collier County Fire Chiefs’ Association and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

The group jointly identified a need for a burning ban to become effective immediately.

Local dependent and independent fire districts and state and federal agencies have responded to numerous wildfire events that have threatened homes, schools, businesses, parks and roadways.

The county said, “Wildfires have, on occasion, generated periodic evacuations and impacted commerce and travel by forcing roads to be closed for suppression or smoke management concerns.”

The ban prohibits open burning, which is any outdoor fire or open combustion of material that produces visible emissions of trash and yard waste, which includes vegetative matter resulting from landscaping and yard maintenance operations.

The county said, “The ban includes all unincorporated Collier County but exempts all commercial agricultural burning, lawful controlled industrial or commercial environments that are part of the manufacturing or some type of assembly process, and burning activities regulated by the Florida Forest Service. This ban presently has no impact on the retail sales of fireworks, although the discharge of fireworks, sparklers and incendiary devices is prohibited.”

They said that outdoor grills, stoves, cookers and smokers may be used in the preparation of food if the cooking fire is controlled and attended to. They added that all outdoor cooking areas shall be free of burnable materials within an area having a circumference of three feet beyond the nearest edge of the cooking fire.

Violation of the order, if it is found to cause irreparable or irreversible damage, can be up to $15,000.

The ban will remain in effect until further notice.

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