Inverness grass fire caused by illegal yard waste burn
Citrus County Fire Rescue
Inverness, Florida — At 11:16 am on Thursday, June 6, 2024, Citrus County Fire Rescue responded to a location on E. Old Stump Ct. in Inverness due to a report of a small brush fire.
Firefighters arrived on scene expecting to tackle a small-scale emergency; however, the team discovered a far more serious situation, a grass fire, approximately 30 feet in diameter, that was ignited by an illegal burn from a nearby burn barrel.
A brush crew sprang into action, deploying their booster line to swiftly extinguish both the illegal burn and the grass fire. Mop-up operations followed, to ensure that all remnants of the fire were fully extinguished; this was completed by 11:50 am.
This fire emphasizes the importance of adhering to burn regulations and safety protocols. Burn rules were issued to the homeowner to ensure future compliance and prevent potential hazards.
The Florida Forest Service administers Florida’s outdoor burning and forest fire laws. Make sure you meet the required setbacks, don’t burn on windy days, and NEVER leave a fire unattended. Learn more at this link: https://floridadep.gov/air/permitting-compliance/content/open-burning; also visit: https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Wildland-Fire/Burn-Authorizations. Your local town, city or county may have additional standards or regulations for outdoor burning.
If you see a fire, call 911 to report it.
Citrus County Fire Rescue's business office is located at 1520 N. Meadowcrest Blvd., Crystal River, Florida 34429; business phone: (352) 527-5406. For information about Citrus County Fire Rescue visit its website at www.CitrusCountyFire.com or its social media sites, x.com/CitrusCoFire and Facebook.com/CitrusCountyFireRescue.