The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday will discuss the possible implementation of a burn ban – a step Okaloosa County and Escambia County have already taken due to dry conditions in the area.
The action comes in the aftermath of the Five Mile Swamp Fire, which last week destroyed homes and forced the closure of Interstate 10. The fire is still not 100 percent contained. So far 2,215 acres have burned, according to the Florida Forestry Service, which confirms the cause of that fire is under investigation.
“There is no rain in the forecast for the next seven days,” said FFS Region 1 Spokesman Joe Zwierzchowski. “As the drying trend continues and temperatures increase, ground fuels (vegetation) will continue to dry. Fires can start and spread very quickly in these conditions.”
Accordingly, Blackwater Forestry Center is not authorizing any burns.
