Updated Monday, Jan. 26
Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, Jefferson County Fire Rescue Chief Derrick Burrus enacted a ban on all outdoor burning. The ban will remain in effect for seven days, unless extended.
“The setting of fires to any debris piles, grass, brush or forest covered land, unless authorized by the Florida Forest Service, shall constitute a violation of law,” his statement said. “This Burn Ban shall not prohibit burning permitted by the Florida Forest Service or ordinary grilling.”
"Thirty acres were burned and homes were threatened," he said. "The ground cover is dry from recent freezing temperatures and lack of rain. Small fires that escape their intended perimeter can grow into large, damaging fires. While burning is an effective way to eliminate underbrush and piles of trimmings, current conditions have led to dangerous fire spread. Prohibiting outdoor burning is a safety measure undertaken after careful consideration and collaboration with our team and state and local leaders with our top priorities being Life Safety and Property Preservation."
At the end of 2025, a fire ban was issued from mid-November through Dec. 3 due to ongoing drought conditions across the county. At that time, most of the county was experiencing Exceptional Drought (D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor), and the rest of it was in a state of Extreme Drought (D3). As of Jan. 22, the county remains in a drought, with the majority at D3 level and the rest at D2 (Severe Drought) level. Our county remains among the driest patches across the whole country. Updated maps are posted every Thursday at droughtmonitor.unl.edu.
To find out more about Burn Authorizations, visit www.fdacs.gov. Jefferson County is served by the Florida Forest Service District 4 field office in Tallahassee, which also serves Leon, Wakulla, Gadsden, Liberty and Franklin counties. To request a Burn Authorization, call 850-681-5951.