Board of County Commissioners’ Chairman Dennis Damato, on the recommendation of Fire Chief Larry Morabito lifted the burn ban for Citrus County this morning, Friday July 1.

Morabito said that the conditions and the drought index had reached a safe level that warranted the lifting.

Morabito coordinated with state forestry officials before making the final decision, and they were not opposed, given the improvement in ground conditions because of recent rains. Assuming the ban does not have to be re-instituted between now and then, the county commission will formally rescind the ban when they next meet on July 12.

The lifting means fireworks shows will not be threatened and residents can use legal fireworks, although Morabito reminded them the only legal fireworks in Florida are sparkler type fireworks. An exception to this is using them in a limited range of agricultural business uses such as scaring birds from an aquaculture operation. Buyers must sign an affidavit saying they qualify to use exploding fireworks for that purpose.

Because of the lingering extremely dry conditions, it had been questionable whether the ban would be lifted for the July 4 holiday weekend, but Morabito said enough rain had fallen recently that the fire danger was not quite so high.

He added, however that burning can still be dangerous, and residents should use all caution and adhere to the rules of burning that are listed on the county website. They should never burn under windy circumstances, should never leave a fire unattended, and have an extinguishing means nearby.

Under the rules, no refuse or household garbage whatsoever can be burned under any circumstances or at any time. Only yard waste generated on the property can be burned and the fire must be at least 25 feet from the person’s house, 25 feet from forests, 50 feet from public roads and 150 feet from other occupied buildings. The smoke cannot be a nuisance, and if the pile is more than eight feet in diameter, the person must get a state Forestry Division permit and have fire suppression equipment on hand at the scene.

As for fireworks, Morabito said the best way to adhere to the law and be safe regarding them is to attend one of the scheduled fireworks displays put on by the municipalities, which are done by licensed professionals in controlled situations with participation of fire officials who inspect and standby in case of need. One is scheduled for Saturday in Crystal River and the other is scheduled for Sunday in Inverness.