Florida’s unusually dry winter may have spared the state from a busy hurricane season, but it has created serious wildfire concerns, according to the state’s top forestry official.
Rick Dolan, director of the Florida Forest Service, said firefighters typically respond to about 2,000 wildfires each year. In 2025, crews have already battled more than 3,100 fires statewide.
“I’ve been with the agency a long time, and this is the driest winter that I can remember in quite a while,” Dolan said Friday while speaking at the Valrico Forestry Station.
With no rain forecast over the next 10 days, Dolan warned that wildfire risk will remain high. Even recent rainfall has done little to reduce the danger.
“We had a 40-acre wildfire in North Polk County yesterday, and they had three to five inches of rain just over a week ago,” Dolan said. “We burn year-round here in Florida, and we’re prepared.”
Many counties have been under burn bans for weeks. While lightning sparks some fires, Dolan said most are caused by human activity, including backyard burning and, in some cases, arson.
Officials emphasized prevention, urging residents to follow burn bans and practice safe burning when allowed. Dolan also highlighted the importance of prescribed burns — controlled fires that reduce underbrush and debris to prevent larger wildfires. The practice has roots in Indigenous land management.
“After the 1998 wildfire season, when we lost a lot of homes, the state really pushed prescribed fire forward,” Dolan said. “This year, Florida burned about two million acres.”
That figure accounts for roughly 20% of all prescribed burns nationwide, Dolan noted, even during what he described as a “down year.”
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson pointed to recent investments in wildfire preparedness, including upgraded equipment and expanded use of drones. He also cited funding aimed at improving firefighter safety and reducing exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
“The goal is to avoid a California-, Colorado-, or Canada-type event,” Simpson said. “Our priority is protecting lives and property.”
Despite the high number of fires this year, Dolan said only two homes have been lost.
“That’s remarkable given Florida’s population,” he said. “It shows the value of reducing fuel loads and taking a proactive approach to fire prevention.”
Florida’s peak wildfire season typically runs from April through June.
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