Wildfires Rage through Florida Drought Areas
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Dec 8, 2010, 7:27:59 AM12/8/10
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Perilous Times and Climate Change
Wildfires Rage through Florida Drought Areas
BY ANDREW KNAPP • and J.D. GALLOP • December 8, 2010
Florida Today
There was no rest for weary firefighters countywide Tuesday, as suspicious brush fires prompted a police search in Palm Bay, and two blazes destroyed buildings in Melbourne and Barefoot Bay.
None of the four wildfires in Palm Bay posed a threat to structures, as they all were small and were kept under control. But the final blaze, at 10 p.m., prompted officers to canvass an area on the city's west side.
They came up empty.
"We're asking residents to be aware of suspicious activity and report it immediately," said Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Police Department. "All the fires were small, but the conditions are extremely dry. They certainly had the potential to become a threat."
The U.S. Drought Monitor categorizes the Space Coast as under an extreme drought, but Lt. Jeff Taylor of Brevard County Fire-Rescue said the worst conditions are in the less populated areas in the extreme northern and southern portions of the county. The Florida Division of Forestry issued a warning Tuesday that freeze-dried vegetation would compound the problem already presented by dead limbs and leaves from last year's record cold winter.
"It's so cold and dry out there, and the winds have been picking up the past few days," Taylor said. "The wind, coupled with the drought, have created lots of little fires."
# In the late morning, county fire-rescue crews contained a brush fire near Golfview Avenue and Port St. John Parkway.
The blaze was initially reported at 10:15 a.m. as a 50-foot-by-50-foot grass fire but quickly spread. It grew to nearly 3 acres before being extinguished.
"There was no lightning in the area," Taylor said. "So it could have been any number of things."
# In Melbourne, crews responded about 1:30 p.m. to a blaze in an abandoned recreation center at the Land Yacht Port O' Call mobile home park off Airport Boulevard. The roof of the building collapsed, but there were no injuries.
"It appears the building has been totally destroyed as evidenced by the collapsed roof," said Lori Booker, the airport's spokeswoman. "It is believed that the cause is suspicious in nature, and we're awaiting the inspector's report."
# Also in Melbourne at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, firefighters doused a half-acre brush fire off Eau Gallie Boulevard, near the Interstate 95 interchange.
Crews initially feared that it could grow and threaten a Dunkin' Donuts restaurant and structures in the Eau Gallie Estates mobile home park, but no buildings were damaged.
# In Barefoot Bay, fire destroyed a mobile home at 750 Periwinkle Circle around 9 p.m. Tuesday. Taylor said the blaze started in a rear bedroom, but the residents were able to evacuate.
Firefighters entered the home but were forced to exit because of high heat. They fought, instead, from the outside. The family recovered a few belongings, but the home was deemed a loss.
The cause was unknown.
# The activity that busied firefighters in Palm Bay began early in the morning.
The first wildfire started about 6:40 a.m. in 900 block of Dusseldorf Avenue. The grass fire burned to a privacy fence of a home. Officials said the fire may have been caused by a power line that fell across a yard.
Palm Bay crews then battled two brush fires -- both ruled suspicious -- around 1 p.m. in the southeast section of the city.
The latest fire started around 10 p.m. along Thunderbird Avenue, which is north of Malabar Road.
"Initially, there was a report that there were some kids in the area, and that may have triggered it," Martinez said. "But they didn't find anyone."
Wildfires Rage through Florida Drought Areas
BY ANDREW KNAPP • and J.D. GALLOP • December 8, 2010
Florida Today
There was no rest for weary firefighters countywide Tuesday, as suspicious brush fires prompted a police search in Palm Bay, and two blazes destroyed buildings in Melbourne and Barefoot Bay.
None of the four wildfires in Palm Bay posed a threat to structures, as they all were small and were kept under control. But the final blaze, at 10 p.m., prompted officers to canvass an area on the city's west side.
They came up empty.
"We're asking residents to be aware of suspicious activity and report it immediately," said Yvonne Martinez, spokeswoman for the Palm Bay Police Department. "All the fires were small, but the conditions are extremely dry. They certainly had the potential to become a threat."
The U.S. Drought Monitor categorizes the Space Coast as under an extreme drought, but Lt. Jeff Taylor of Brevard County Fire-Rescue said the worst conditions are in the less populated areas in the extreme northern and southern portions of the county. The Florida Division of Forestry issued a warning Tuesday that freeze-dried vegetation would compound the problem already presented by dead limbs and leaves from last year's record cold winter.
"It's so cold and dry out there, and the winds have been picking up the past few days," Taylor said. "The wind, coupled with the drought, have created lots of little fires."
# In the late morning, county fire-rescue crews contained a brush fire near Golfview Avenue and Port St. John Parkway.
The blaze was initially reported at 10:15 a.m. as a 50-foot-by-50-foot grass fire but quickly spread. It grew to nearly 3 acres before being extinguished.
"There was no lightning in the area," Taylor said. "So it could have been any number of things."
# In Melbourne, crews responded about 1:30 p.m. to a blaze in an abandoned recreation center at the Land Yacht Port O' Call mobile home park off Airport Boulevard. The roof of the building collapsed, but there were no injuries.
"It appears the building has been totally destroyed as evidenced by the collapsed roof," said Lori Booker, the airport's spokeswoman. "It is believed that the cause is suspicious in nature, and we're awaiting the inspector's report."
# Also in Melbourne at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, firefighters doused a half-acre brush fire off Eau Gallie Boulevard, near the Interstate 95 interchange.
Crews initially feared that it could grow and threaten a Dunkin' Donuts restaurant and structures in the Eau Gallie Estates mobile home park, but no buildings were damaged.
# In Barefoot Bay, fire destroyed a mobile home at 750 Periwinkle Circle around 9 p.m. Tuesday. Taylor said the blaze started in a rear bedroom, but the residents were able to evacuate.
Firefighters entered the home but were forced to exit because of high heat. They fought, instead, from the outside. The family recovered a few belongings, but the home was deemed a loss.
The cause was unknown.
# The activity that busied firefighters in Palm Bay began early in the morning.
The first wildfire started about 6:40 a.m. in 900 block of Dusseldorf Avenue. The grass fire burned to a privacy fence of a home. Officials said the fire may have been caused by a power line that fell across a yard.
Palm Bay crews then battled two brush fires -- both ruled suspicious -- around 1 p.m. in the southeast section of the city.
The latest fire started around 10 p.m. along Thunderbird Avenue, which is north of Malabar Road.
"Initially, there was a report that there were some kids in the area, and that may have triggered it," Martinez said. "But they didn't find anyone."
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