Florida Wildfire Risk Map Shows Threat to Mar-a-Lago

There is a high threat for wildfires at President Donald Trump’s resort residence at Mar-a-Lago as well as all of Palm Beach County, according to a wildfire risk map from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Newsweek reached out to a Mar-a-Lago representative by email for comment.

Why It Matters

Wildfire season runs year-round in the Sunshine State, though it peaks from late spring through summer when drought is most widespread.

So far this year, more than 600 fires have ignited across the state, burning more than 8,700 acres of land. As of Friday evening, there are 18 active fires burning in Florida.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate has a 62,000-square-foot perimeter, which makes it the 22nd largest house in the United States—larger than the White House. The president splits his time between there and the White House and his property portfolio in New York City.

What To Know

One of the fires is burning in Palm Beach County where Mar-a-Lago is located. The flames are on the opposite side of the county than Mar-a-Lago. The fire is 10 acres in size and 90 percent contained, according to the most recent update.

On Friday morning, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists warned of sensitive fire weather conditions persisting across parts of Florida through Friday.

The estimated fire danger for Friday was highest in south Florida, including Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach County, and in north-central Florida. All of these areas were classified as having a “high” fire risk, according to the map from FDACS.

The rest of Florida was classified as having “moderate” risk.

“The Florida Forest Service uses the Wildland Fire Danger Index (FDI) for estimating the potential for a fire to start and require suppression action on any given day,” information included with the map said. “It does not consider how quickly any fires that do start will grow, or how difficult they will be to suppress.”

In addition to the active fires burning throughout the Sunshine State, numerous fires are marked as “contained” and are no longer considered active fires. There are also several fires that are marked as reported and have not yet been labeled as active.

What People Are Saying

NWS office in Miami wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday: “Numerous reports of smoke have been reported from Broward county. The source of this smoke is coming from a couple of fires in western Palm Beach county, and the brisk NW winds are carrying this smoke into portions of the metro.”

NWS office in Melbourne, Florida, in a weather statement: “Despite lighter winds today, fire-sensitive weather conditions will continue as relative humidity values plummet to between 25 and 35 percent over all but the immediate coast this afternoon.”

What Happens Next?

NWS meteorologist Megan Tollefsen previously told Newsweek that the sensitive fire weather conditions will start to improve heading into the weekend.