- April 25, 2024
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Yesterday’s storms sparked 15 new fires statewide. But according to Division of Forestry Spokesman Timber Weller, things are looking up.
Of the combined new starts, only 32.9 acres of land burned, he said, down from about 300 acres the day before, with the same number of flare-ups. That’s a sign that moisture is slowing burn expansion.
The current active state fire total is 276.
“The number of fires and acreage statewide is starting a trend downward,” Weller said.
However, recent rains haven’t fallen everywhere.
According to Tom Donohoe, fire operations manager, the western side of the Espanola fire — still Flagler’s largest and only uncontained blaze — received very little to no rain in the past week. The wildfire remains at the same size, and the same 70% containment ratio, but is surrounded with “muck,” he said, smoldering organic material.
Compared to the 200 workers previously tasked at Espanola, Donohoe said about 80 DOF crewmembers are currently deployed at the fire.
In all of Flagler County, six fires are being worked by the DOF.
The Flagler County Fire Department attacked one new flare-up yesterday, a less-than-one-acre blaze off State Road 11 that was quickly managed.
“We’ve downsized significantly over the past week,” Fire Chief Don Petito said, citing only two taskforces on hand for initial attack, down from eight (including resources from Jacksonville and St. Johns and Volusia counties) during the battle’s height.
“We’re just hanging on until we get enough rain to quell the rest of the fires,” he said.
Weller elaborated: “Some areas received no rain at all, so we don’t want people to believe that these hazardous conditions have (dissipated). Pardon the pun, (but) we’re not out of the woods yet.”
