COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — It has been weeks since we have seen any decent rainfall in Southwest Florida.
The United States Drought Monitor currently has Collier County, as well as parts of Lee and Hendry Counties, listed in Moderate Drought.
While it is typically dry this time of year, Collier County is the driest county in the state right now. In fact, Naples Airport hasn’t seen measurable rainfall in the entire month of February. If we finish the month without rain — and the forecast isn’t looking favorable — it would be the first time since 1949.
And with lack of rainfall, fire danger continues to build.
“We haven’t received enough rain to measure in a spoon,” said Greater Naples Fire Chief Nolan Sapp.
Chief Sapp says his district has already started to see an increase in wildfire incident as conditions continue to dry out.
“We are starting to see where people discarding cigarettes in the medians are causing median fires,” said Chief Sapp. “There are people that are burning yard debris and it gets out of control easily.”
While a burn ban isn’t in place in Collier County yet, it is likely not far away. The county uses the Keetch Byram Drought Index, which estimates the moisture in the top eight inches of soil. When that index reaches 600, those bans will likely go into effect.
With no rain in the forecast and the county averaging a KBDI of 580 as of Thursday, those bans are likely a week or two away. As conditions dry and with a lack of major fires last year, Chief Sapp says there is plenty of fuel to burn.
“The fuel load as we call it, continues to grow throughout the year, and of course this time of year it dies,” said Chief Sapp.
And with Greater Naples Fire District having the largest urban interface area in the state, a zone where wilderness meets developed areas, the district is reinforcing the importance of creating defensible space around your home. Without it, firefighters might have to make some hard decisions.
“And you have triage that,” said Chief Sapp. “You are there with 500 gallons of water and a house that has a tree canopy over top of that, how do you defend that?”
While burning is still allowed, Chief Sapp is asking the public to use common sense and be extremely careful.
“Fire conditions are much like having children. You got to monitor them at all times, so they don’t get out of control or don’t run off on you.”
Fox 4 reached out to Collier County about the possibility of implementing a burn ban. A spokesperson gave this response:
Emergency Management, Forestry and local fire chiefs are closely monitoring conditions. We will work with our partner agencies while monitoring certain indicators, ensuring our statutory requirements are met. We will make those recommendations if and when needed.
Chief Sapp told Fox 4 he believes fire season is getting going a little quicker this year, and only expects it to pick over the next couple months, likely peaking during the end of March or early April. Unfortunately, how long the fire season lasts is all dependent on when the summer rains return.
