Monday, January 3, 2011 - County Issues Burn Ban

St. Lucie County Public Safety officials, in conjunction with the St. Lucie County Fire District and Florida Division of Forestry, have implemented a county-wide burn ban effective immediately.

The burn ban applies to all non-permitted, outside burning and fireworks.  Agricultural burning will be permitted on a case-by-case basis as authorized by the State Division of Forestry. The drought index for St. Lucie County is currently 608, out of 800. An index reading higher than 550 is considered extremely dry.

"We are urging residents to use extreme caution and report any outside burning or fireworks to 9-1-1," said St. Lucie County Administrator Faye Outlaw. “Our fire fighters along with the Division of Forestry staff have done an excellent job of keeping St. Lucie County safe."

"The Fire District will continue to monitor the brush fire risk and respond accordingly," added St. Lucie County Fire Chief Ron Parrish.  "We are currently deploying a Task Force response to all high-risk situations."

As in previous years, the County will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and take additional steps as needed until the drought index is once again satisfactory.