- April 24, 2024
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Flames flared to two stories high in an 8.44-acre stand of trees around 10 a.m. April 12 in one of Palm Coast’s most busy shopping areas. About 40 firefighters and other personnel were working to control the blaze and ensure that no structures are threatened.
Traffic was blocked on Cypress Point Parkway from Pine Cone Drive to Belle Terre Parkway to allow access for firefighters. A fire hose was stretched across four lanes of Cypress Point in the late morning, as one crew of firefighters sprayed smoldering palmetto stumps near the sidewalk on the south side.
Another crew used a drip torch — a gas can filled with a mix of gasoline and diesel fuel and capped with a wick — to burn underbrush in a controlled fashion.
“It’s called a forest fire, but that’s a misnomer,” said Timber Weller, information officer for the Florida Forest Service. “All that’s burning is brush. Once that’s gone, there’s not enough energy for it to catch a tree on fire. It’s like trying to start a campfire with a log and a match.”
Weller said the fire wasn’t started by lightning, so it must have been started by a human, though there is no indication it was arson. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Check back for updates.
