Increased Fire Danger Forces Fla. Campfire Restrictions

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4)-Open campfires are prohibited after officials enforced temporary campfire restrictions across Florida.

The Division of Forestry at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services enacted on Thursday the temporary statewide restriction prohibiting open campfires on all state lands due to extreme drought conditions and increasing wildfire threats.

This temporary restriction against open campfires prohibits all fires placed openly on the ground until further notice or until the threat of wildfire is significantly diminished.

Cooking fires contained in commercially-designated apparatuses such as grills and embedded metal fire rings are not prohibited, according to officials.

"The Florida Division of Forestry is committed to providing safe and quality recreation areas for the public," said Jim Karels, Director of the Division of Forestry. "However, we need the public's help in keeping visitors and natural resources safe by refraining from lighting campfires on state lands."

The restriction applies to state forest lands and public lands managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Department of Environmental Protection and regional Water Management Districts.

In the past six months, forestry personnel have responded to more than 3,300 wildfires and battled almost 200,000 acres of burning wildlands across the state.

While the majority of these fires were caused by lightning strikes, a large number were acts of arson or human carelessness, officials said.

For more information regarding the campfire restrictions on state lands or Florida wildfire activity, visit www.fl-dof.com or contact your local Division of Forestry office.

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com.