Volusia County Fire Services to lift fireworks and outdoor burning bans Saturday in Lake Helen, Oak Hill, Pierson and other unincorporated areas
Courtesy photos / A large mid-June fire shown here in the Maytown Road area between Oak Hill and Osteen was among dozens of wild fires plaguing rural Volusia County, have finally been quelled by several weeks of steady rain leading to county officials announcing Wednesday that bans in place on fireworks use and outdoor burning would be lifted by this weekend.
DELAND -- Volusia County Fire Services will lift the outdoor and fireworks bans for the county’s unincorporated areas as well as the cities of Lake Helen, Pierson and Oak Hill at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
The burn ban had been issued March 3, and the fireworks ban took effect June 6.
“The environmental conditions have improved because of the recent rain storms,” Volusia County Fire Services Chief Joseph Pozzo said earlier today, referring to the 12-plus inches of rainfall in the last few weeks. “But there is still a lot of dry vegetation throughout the county, so we ask residents to continue practicing wildfire safety.”
Pozzo notes that residents should not discard cigarettes from moving vehicles or park a hot car or operate all-terrain vehicles on dry grass. Outdoor fires and grills should be attended constantly and extinguished completely, and lawn mowers and farm equipment should be checked to make sure they have properly working spark arresters.
Courtesy photo / Thick smoke billows from a wild fire off a muddy dirt road in DeLand near Daytona Park Estates subdivision where a dozen homes were briefly evacuated earlier in the week.