'We're a tinderbox'
Governor declares state of emergency
Kevin Spear
Sentinel Staff Writer
May 9, 2006
Get ready to deal with an even scarier phase of Central Florida's peak wildfire season.
It's lightning time.
After days of news reports about nighttime firestorms, charred homes, smoke-smothered roads and fatal accidents, Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency Monday and deployed aviation units from the Florida National Guard to help fight the wildfires.
"We're a tinderbox right now," Bush said in announcing the declaration in New Smyrna Beach. ". . . We should expect to have more fires."
The newest side of the fire threat could emerge from the skies starting as early as today.
With a 30 percent to 40 percent chance of rain in today's forecast, the risk of lightning strikes igniting more fires is now a major worry.
And if typical patterns hold, the serious rains won't arrive until about the end of May. The smaller storms won't bring enough rain right away to douse fires or soak the dried landscape.
"We can be optimistic that we'll get some moisture, but often what we get are erratic winds and lightning," said Steve Holman, a state Division of Forestry operations chief at a series of blazes near the Orange and Brevard county lines. "That means more fire starts."
And the Interstate 95 corridor, where fires have closed roads and forced people to evacuate their homes this week, is a prime target.
The reason: While much of Central and South Florida are acutely dry, the corridor along I-95 in Volusia and Brevard counties has been particularly parched during the past several months.
Winter and early-spring winds often blow from the west across Florida. Those winds get drier as they cross the peninsula, leaving little moisture for East-Central Florida, particularly the coastal areas, said Division of Forestry forecaster Deborah Hanley in Tallahassee.
The combination of the dryness and now the upcoming storms driven by sea breezes makes the coast vulnerable.
Firefighters continued to battle blazes in Volusia and Brevard counties Monday. In Volusia, residents evacuated from more than 900 houses were allowed to return home. The blaze has burned about 1,320 acres.
In central Brevard County near Cocoa, frustrated residents continued to deal with smoke from a blaze set by an arsonist late last month. The Florida Highway Patrol said the heavy haze will force officials to close portions of I-95 every morning until further notice.
In Orange County, a brush fire visible from Interstate 4 flared up around 5 p.m. at Westwood Boulevard and Central Florida Parkway. Within two hours, firefighters had contained the blaze and were dousing the embers to protect hotels in the area. Authorities said the blaze consumed more than 25 acres. Central Florida Parkway from I-4 to International Drive and all of Westwood Drive were temporarily closed. There was no damage to buildings or any injuries.
Other parts of the state are experiencing similar problems.
A brush fire in Hillsborough County forced the highway patrol to shut down more than four miles of Interstate 75 south of Tampa on Monday afternoon. And in South Florida, two people were killed in traffic accidents caused by the fog and smoke that shut down a section of U.S. Highway 27 between South Bay near Lake Okeechobee and I-75 in Broward County for hours. Nineteen people were injured at another smoke-and-fog crash miles away.
More than 2,200 wildfires have burned across 44,000 acres in Florida since Jan. 1, according to the state Division of Forestry. Officials are tracking about 50 active wildfires. Peak wildfire season, a normal part of Florida's weather cycle, typically lasts through mid-June.
The state of emergency grants Florida agencies in charge of fighting wildfires broader authority to marshal resources, such as federal help and assistance from other states.
The past six months have been extremely dry in Central Florida, leaving the Orlando area with less than half of the normal amount of rainfall. With temperatures soaring toward summertime highs, grass, brush and forests are in prime condition to flare into a major blaze with just a spark.
Much of the acrid smoke that has settled onto the highways during pre-dawn hours of recent days is from a particularly troublesome blaze called a "muck" fire.
Those are infernos that smolder slowly, much like a pile of hot coals in a barbecue grill.
But muck fires are underground, gnawing on a compacted, partly decayed layer of grass, leaves or other forest vegetation.
That makes it very difficult for firefighters to extinguish a muck fire. They have to use tanker trucks or set up temporary sprinklers fed from a nearby pond or stream.
Holman said countless muck fires, from a few feet across to nearly a half-acre in size, are puffing out smoke from the 2-week-old, 5,400-acre blaze extending from the St. Johns River across I-95 to near Port St. John in Brevard County.
For safety reasons, firefighters will battle only those muck fires within 100 feet of control lines. All other muck fires might burn until doused by several inches of rains.
"If it's in an interior part [of the 5,400 acres], it could be a long time before it's out," Holman said.
Muck fires aren't a problem at the Volusia blaze. But trees knocked down by hurricanes in recent years add extra fuel to the fire and continue to smolder, triggering heavy smoke.
"Those trees will burn for days or weeks," said Division of Forestry spokesman Timber Weller. "They're just going to burn like a cigar from one end to the other."
Amy C. Rippel and Laurin Sellers of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Information from wire services also was used. Kevin Spear can be reached at kspear@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5062.
