Update, June 6: DeLand, Deltona and County have all issued burn bans.
In the wake of a blaze that scorched rural property in Osteen, Volusia County Fire Chief Joe King says a ban on outdoor burning may be imposed.
More than 900 acres in the unincorporated settlement were charred in recent days amid continued rainless days, prompting local and state firefighters to battle the spreading flames.
“The weather didn’t help out, with 20-miles-per-hour winds,” King told the County Council June 4.
Low humidity during the daylight hours compounded the arid conditions.
Though there were no injuries or structures damaged by the blaze, King said, some livestock had to be evacuated from harm’s way over the weekend.
Firefighters from the county and the Florida Forest Service worked to control the spread of the flames and extinguish hot spots.
King said Volusia County’s place on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index is currently 472, on a scale that ranges from 0 to 800. The higher the number, the more likely for a wildfire to erupt or resist containment.
King also said the cause of the Osteen fire has not yet been determined.
I can tell you what caused it. The construction crew clearing was burning piles of Trees Friday night. And they are calling the fire crews back in now because it just started up again.