NORTH PORT, Fla. — An Outdoor Burn Ban has been issued to the city of North Port due to drought conditions and wildfire; the burn ban will remain in place until conditions are better.
The Fire Cheif of the City of North Port has determined an Extraordinary Fire Hazard now exists in the city and issued the Outdoor Burn Ban ban on Wednesday, April 13.
Present conditions in the State and local region:
• The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) indicates that the area is 2.2 inches short of average rainfall for year-to-date 2022.
• Within the City of North Port the Drought Index that measures moisture in the vegetation is up to 588 on the Keetch Byram Drought Index (KBDI) scale of 0-800.
• Fire Index for the City of North Port area has been consistent between High and Very High on the Fire Danger Index (FDI).
• There is no precipitation of significance forecasted in the short term that would alleviate these conditions.
The city's Burn Ban prohibits outdoor burning that has not been permitted by the Florida Forest Service. Bonfires, campfires, or any burning of yard debris are included in the Burn Ban. However, outdoor cooking is allowed along with BBQ grills, but no fire/cooking pits are permitted.
Because of this extremely drought time, citizens are asked to take extra caution when parking in tall grass, or when they toss a cigarette.
