- May 4, 2024
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Firefighters were temporarily evacuated in Espanola overnight, said Flagler County Emergency Operations Manager Troy Harper on June 6.
"Firefighters abandoned suppression efforts due to unsafe and unstable conditions and fallen trees. That was last night, and they’re back in this morning,” Harper said.
There were no residents evacuated, and there is no immediate threat to Palm Coast, he added. Winds would have to blow for days to shift the fire and threaten the area. The fire is still about seven or eight miles west of Palm Coast.
However, as Flagler County Fire Chief Don Petito said, in a June 6 County Commission meeting, “If we get a wind shift … this will come right into Palm Coast, like it did in 1985 and 1998."
The Espanola fire has, as of this morning, grown to more than 1,500 acres, Petito said. Yesterday, it was announced to be 900 acres.
"The conditions are very favorable for this fire to grow," Harper said.
He added that the EOC has received many 911 calls about the smoke in the area. He said residents should not call about smoke.
"We only want people to call the authorities if they see flames," he said.
The Espanola fire is just one of many, Petito noted, pointing out five others on a digital map that the fire department, in cooperation with the Department of Forestry, is actively fighting in Flagler County. Despite the fact that Volusia County is fighting 42 fires of its own, it assisted in combating Flagler’s White Eagle fire, which burned within 10 feet of homes near Seminole Woods, on County Road 325.
Petito said that he has secured commitments from Jacksonville, as well as St. Johns and Marion counties, to send strike teams for assistance, should circumstances get dire. Flagler County Public Works and Fleet Service are assisting the fire department in the fight, as well.
“It’s so dry that the dirt is actually burning,” Petito said, explaining that there are tables underneath ground level in the woods — which can get as deep as 20 feet — where soil mixed with moss and “organic materials” smolder.
“When you’re in Palm Coast, you’re somewhat removed from the situation that’s going on in the western part of the county,” County Commissioner Milissa Holland said. “Unless you’re out there, seeing what (these) men and women are doing … I don’t think you really can appreciate … what they’ve put into keeping our residents safe.”
Petito reported that his crew is working shifts of 36 hours on duty and 36 hours off duty. “Our guys are running all day and all night,” he said.
Putnam County, which is the closest region to the growing Espanola fire, is currently combating two 3,000-acre fires of its own.
At the close of Petito’s presentation to the Board, as he walked down the aisle away from the podium, he shook his head and said, “Pray for rain.”
Brian McMillan contributed to this report.
