Perilous
Times and Climate Change
Florida: Raging Wildfire continues to scorch Palm Bay area
Officials: Blaze 90% contained; drivers, the ill should be wary
BY KAUSTUV BASU • FLORIDA TODAY • December 30, 2010
PALM BAY — Smoke from a 13,000-acre wildfire that continues to
burn just west of Palm Bay will pose potentially dangerous driving
conditions again this morning for Interstate 95 motorists in south
Brevard County.
The massive brushfire in a remote marshy area was mostly contained
by Wednesday, but was still sending plumes of smoke into the skies
of south Brevard. At least three agencies, including the Florida
Division of Forestry, St. Johns River Water Management District
and the Malabar Volunteer Fire Department, are involved in the
firefight.
Smoke closed about 17 miles of I-95 overnight Tuesday into
Wednesday morning from Malabar Road to the Fellsmere exit and will
likely affect motorists in Palm Bay and on the interstate in
southern Brevard for the next two to three days, officials said.
Motorists are encouraged to use caution in the Palm Bay/Sebastian
areas, and on U.S. 192 across St. Johns River in case they
encounter smoky conditions.
"That is always a possibility," said Cliff Frazier, a wildfire
mitigation specialist with the Florida Division of Forestry.
Firefighters monitored the brushfire Wednesday for hotspots by
land and with a plane as they worked to prevent it from creeping
toward inhabited areas. The fire, officials said, is not posing an
immediate threat to homes. However, health officials warned
Wednesday of potential respiratory problems that may be
encountered due to the amount of smoke in the air.
The beginning
The original fire in the Three Forks Conservation Area began
Sunday evening and grew to 2,600 acres before officials began a
"mitigation burn" of roughly 10,000 acres that burned toward the
city limits to contain it.
"For the most part, it looks like the danger is over," said Ed
Garland, spokesman for the St. Johns River Water Management
District. "It is 90 percent contained."
"What's burning now is the residual fuel left behind," said Doug
Voltolina, a land manager with the St Johns district. "Right now,
it is a waiting game."
The Three Forks Conservation Area is spread over 52,000 acres and
is part of the Upper St. Johns River Basin Project. The project
aims to improve water quality and cut down on fresh water
discharges to the Indian River Lagoon.
The last mitigation burn in Three Forks was in 2006 and officials
were planning another burn there in 2011.
"There is a lot of dry brush in the area because of all the frost
we have had," Voltolina said. "The lines are secure, but there are
pockets within the contained area that are burning and that is why
we have the smoke issues."
The vegetation in the marshland consists of Sawgrass, Maidencane
and Spartina, officials said.
On Wednesday, several columns of dark smoke were visible from the
Thomas O. Lawton Recreation Area, near Palm Bay's Malabar Road.
OK for now
There is no red flag warning or any special fire weather alerts
for today. That is partly because the relative humidity is
projected to rise, the National Weather Service in Melbourne said.
No rain is in the forecast until Sunday night.
The Keetch-Byram index for Brevard County was at 524 Wednesday.
The index, which measures the dryness of the soil, ranges from a
scale of 0 to 800. A high value indicates that conditions are
favorable for the spread of wildfires.
Firefighters do not know how the blaze started, but some
speculated that it might have started by someone hunting or even a
tossed cigarette.
Staff Writer J.D. Gallop contributed to this report.