GREEN COVE SPRINGS – With two-thirds of Florida in the midst of a drought, Clay County joined more than 30 other counties Tuesday and issued a countywide ban on open fires.

The burn-ban comes as citizens prepare for Memorial Day and Fourth of July festivities. But county officials are now currently barring the use of fireworks until further notice.

“We will be very conscious of [the holidays] as we move forward…” said County Fire Chief Lorin Mock May 9 addressing the regular Board of County Commissioners meeting. “We will be cognizant of that and move in a way that we can ensure safety for the citizens...But this is really an important public message to send to our citizens. One, that it’s imprudent to consider open burning under these conditions for the very near future, and two, to set some actions in place that if individuals would choose to do that there are corresponding penalties.”

Fire officials may allow scheduled firework shows during this time, but there is no guarantee of this, according to Mock.

A similar situation occurred in 2011, when officials barred the use of fireworks due to a burn ban. Officials inevitably permitted public fireworks events and encouraged citizens to participate in those festivities instead of attempting to celebrate on their own.

“In the public events, we have the ability to marshal resources that if there was a type of event that took place from an accidental discharge that caused a fire, we would have resources there to jump on that and suppress it pretty quickly. It’s the individuals doing it in their homes and shooting it into dry, parched wildland areas that’s the hazard.”

The ban is for a good reason.

As of May 9, exceedingly dry, parched and windy conditions have continued for several months, creating the need to declare a state of emergency for a period up to and including May 15.

The ban prohibits outdoor burning without expressed permission by the Florida Forest Service. This includes burning yard waste, bonfires and campfires on private or county property.

Although the use of gas grills and charcoal grills are permitted, the public is encouraged to keep a constant watch for any stray sparks or embers while cooking outdoors. Additionally, due to the potential for accidental ignitions, the use of motorized equipment such as ATVs and dirt bikes are not suggested during times of high wildfire risk.

The ban comes at a time when ash and smoke from the West Mims wildfire in Georgia is filtering over Northeast Florida. The wildfire began in early April when a lightning strike hit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Folkston, Georgia. The wildfire has burned more than 140,000 acres since it began, and is currently 12 percent contained.

More than 1,940 wildfires have sprung up in Florida since January, according to the Florida Forest Service.

Additionally, the St. Johns River Water Management District extended a water shortage warning to all 18 counties in its district Tuesday to ensure the district makes wise choices with water conservation.

The burn ban will update on weekly intervals based on updates in rainfall. In the meantime, just pray for rain, said County Commissioner Diane Hutchings.

“If you’re a praying person, if it wouldn’t be a huge problem, then please pray for some water from heaven,” she said.