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Highlands Today

Wildfire Danger At Its Highest In Highlands County

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Special to Highlands Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 29, 2009

SEBRING - Thanks to the cold fronts and frost conditions from last week and continuing lack of rainfall, Highlands County is right now the driest county in Florida, adding to dangerous wildfire hazards, according to the Florida Division of Forestry.

A color coded state map showing the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) has Highlands County in purple, the only county in that color. That means that from a range of 0 to 800, Highlands is between 700 to 749. The index shows the potential for wildfire/forest fires.

With little rainfall since October, the wildfire danger has been increasing steadily, said a press release from Melissa Yunas, wildfire mitigation specialist with the Florida Division of Forestry.

"In recent years, the KBDI has peaked in January, but the following months produced enough rainfall to moderate conditions, there is some concern that may not occur this fire season," Yunas added.

The Sebring Florida Automated Weather Network indicates that Highlands County has received 3.37 inches of rain since October.

From Jan. 1 through Jan. 28, Highlands County had 19 fires, which burned 52.2 acres.

The press release advises residents living in or near areas close to brush or wooded areas to make their homes as safe as possible from the threat of wildfires by following FIREWISE guidelines.

Structures should be surrounded by a buffer zone extending at least 30 feet. This area should be free of highly flammable vegetation and well maintained. Leaves, pine needles and twigs should be removed from roofs and gutters. Flammable materials including wood, vehicles and propane tanks, should not be stored next to the house.

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