Washington County rescinds outdoor burn ban

Now that some rain has fallen, the outdoor burn ban issued in Washington County is no more–for now.

The ban was rescinded on Thursday, Nov. 16, at the request of Fire Coordinator Justin Leach during a County Board of County Commissioners meeting based on the recommendation of forestry experts. It was initially issued on Nov. 2.

Despite projected rain, the area is “still really dry,” Leach said. Weather conditions recently have been dry and with no rain, the latter an unusual feature for the Florida Panhandle.

“The northwest side of the county is still six to eight inches below rainfall than what we usually have,” Leach said.

The outdoor burn ban could be enacted again soon, depending on if the wind picks back up. Such a ban prohibits improperly disposing of cigarettes or having open fires of any type, including campfires, bonfires, yard burns, or trash burning.

Grill cooking is allowed.

“The ground is wet a little bit, so hopefully we’ll be able to handle anything that comes up,” Leach said. “We’ve had a few brush fires in the past week or so, even since the burn ban’s been in effect. Luckily, we’ve got to them pretty quick and they’ve been stopped.”

A burn ban has been similarly lifted in neighboring Bay County.