Burn Ban Back In Effect In Manatee County Due To Dry Conditions

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Because of ongoing hot and dry weather conditions and an elevated wildfire risk, a countywide burn ban went back into effect Tuesday afternoon, Manatee County Emergency Management officials said in a news release. It will remain in effect until further notice.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were multiple wildfires near the Myakka River in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties, totaling more than 1,000 acres, a Florida Forest Service wildfire map shows. The fires are in various stages of being active, controlled or contained.

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The new burn ban in Manatee County includes any item containing an explosive compound, sparklers, products using or containing pyrotechnic composition, flares, open burning and campfires due to increasingly dry conditions, officials said.

The following activities will continue to be allowed under the burn ban:

• Outdoor cookers or grills, as long as they’re attended at all times by a responsible adult while in use.
• Liquefied petroleum gas devices, such as grills, camp stoves, fire pits, or other devices that solely burn liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, butane, naphthalene, or other liquid fuel, as long as a responsible adult attends them at all times.
• Agricultural, silvicultural, and land-clearing burns that the Florida Forest Service authorizes.
• Properly permitted public fireworks displays with adequate fire suppression equipment and personnel on site.
• Flares discharged over the Gulf.

All previously permitted public fireworks displays will continue as scheduled and remain subject to existing fire safety requirements.

"It only takes one spark to start a fire under these conditions," Emergency Management Chief Matt Myers said. "We encourage everyone to avoid activities that could unintentionally ignite a fire and to follow the burn ban until conditions improve."