Enjoying the nice weather and planning a barbecue? We urge everyone to put their barbecue plans on hold at the moment. Please remember – it’s safer for everyone if your grill is indoors. Or better still, plan on taking advantage of all the other great activities Walton County has to offer: paddleboarding, fishing, surfing, biking, e-foiling, or a good ol’ day at the beach!

With fire danger elevated to “high,” the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and Walton County Fire Rescue, Florida strongly discourage outdoor burning at this time.

Fire danger has been elevated to “high” throughout the county due to a dry forecast and windy conditions through the middle of this week.

In addition, the US National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida, has issued a “Fire Weather Watch” from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. today as well because of the increased potential for wildfires to start and spread rapidly for the next few days.

The citizens of Walton County are advised to refrain from outdoor burning at this time. Please use best practices to avoid starting a wildfire, and report all wildfires as soon as they occur. Keep vehicles off of dry grass and properly discard all cigarettes.

Interestingly, burning is an important part of the ecology of many regions of the country. At times, you might notice signs on the roadways that tell you that a prescribed burn is taking place. This is to prevent emergency calls reporting it, but it’s also to keep motorists and residents safe and out of harm’s way. Prescribed fire is a planned, managed, and executed burn that is used for the protection of life and property, land and resource management, watershed and rangeland health. Prescribed fire reduces hazardous fuels and helps restore and maintain healthy ecosystems.