BARTOW, Fla. — Polk County officials held a press conference on Monday to discuss the unusually active brush fire season.
“This is setting up to be historical, historical. It is so dry out there,” said Shawn Smith, Polk County Fire Rescue Chief.
In February alone, crews responded to 170 brush fires that scorched 3,100 acres.
“We’ve unfortunately lost a couple of homes in those. Unfortunately, a friend of mine and a retired firefighter of ours, that retired 13 years ago, he lost his home in that,” Smith said.
Officials said Polk County Fire Rescue battled more than 30 brush fires yesterday as a combination of drought conditions, lack of rain and wind came together to spark fires across the county.
Watch Report from Rebecca Petit who was at the press conference
Several recent brush fires have been started by residents disregarding the countywide burn ban, according to officials.
Since a burn ban went into effect in November, 21 people have been cited and charged for burning during a state of emergency.
“We’re not trying to tell you what to do on your property. This is your property man. We fully respect that but it’s at that point where you have to have that 10,000 foot view and look at your actions. There are ramifications for that,” Smith said.
Officials said drought conditions, lack of rain, and wind are creating the perfect environment for flames to spark and spread quickly. Anyone who violates the burn ban faces a fine of up to $500 or even jail time.
“You can call 911 and you can say it’s a non-emergency. 'Hey I see a neighbor or I'm driving by and I do see, it appears that someone is having a recreational burn,'" said Smith.
Over the weekend, dozens of residents were asked to evacuate as fires threatened homes. Officials are urging residents to think about their emergency plan now, just like they would for a hurricane or any other disaster.
“Think about what you would do in that situation to keep your family safe. Don't delay. If you get a call or knock on the door that says hey there’s a fire coming you need to go. You need to go,” said Paul Womble, Emergency Management Director for Polk County.
WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE
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