Hernando County warns against outdoor burning amid red flag warning

Do not burn yard debris, brush, bonfires or campfires in Hernando County. Do use only attended gas or charcoal grills, and report burn-ban violations to Hernando County Fire Rescue at 352-754-6830.

Hernando County Fire Rescue said the county-wide burn ban that began April 14 remained in effect until further notice for unincorporated Hernando County and the City of Brooksville. The restriction covers all outdoor burning unless it is specifically permitted by the Florida Forest Service.

The warning came as the National Weather Service Tampa Bay issued a Red Flag Warning from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday for west central and southwest Florida. Forecasters said outdoor burning was strongly discouraged because any fire that starts could spread rapidly in the dry conditions.

County officials had already tied the burn ban to a spike in brush fires and a Keetch-Byram Drought Index of 509 on April 13, which the county classified as high fire danger. The county said the index was rising, a sign that vegetation and soil were dry enough to let flames move fast through grass, scrub and wooded areas.

The risk was not theoretical in Hernando County. A brush fire in South Brooksville on Burns Road grew to about 12 acres and was roughly 5% contained as crews worked to slow it down. Firefighters used bulldozers, brush trucks, water tankers and a helicopter to battle the blaze, and the cause remained under investigation.

Brooksville also hit a record low temperature, adding to the unusual weather pattern that has left west central Florida primed for fire. With dry fuel, low humidity and gusty conditions in place, Hernando County Fire Rescue said even routine yard burning can become a neighborhood threat in a matter of minutes.