MIMS, Fla. – Hot and dry conditions in Central Florida are increasing the risk of brush fires.
Cliff Frazier, a wildfire mitigation specialist with Florida Forest Service, said very little rainfall mixed with dry vegetation is a recipe for disaster.
“They’re (the fires) popping up daily,” Frazier said. “I mean, it’s dry out here. We need some rainfall. A considerable amount... Every fire call we’re sending two tractor plow units out because we know how dry it is out there, especially with the wind conditions and low humidity levels.”
Crews recently responded to a brush fire in Lake Harney Woods on Sunday, the Seminole County Fire Department said.
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Fire officials said the blaze, located at 861 Gopher Slough Road east of Geneva, was near one crews responded to a day prior.
Over 25 units from multiple agencies across Seminole and Volusia counties responded to the flames, spanning approximately 2.5 acres, according to the fire department.
Officials previously said the fire grew about 5 acres “in a mixed fuel of grass and heavy brush.”
No injuries or structural damage were reported, Seminole County fire officials said.
This comes as burn bans have been instated throughout multiple Central Florida counties as dry weather and hot temperatures persist.
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Fire officials in Volusia and Seminole counties pointed to the flames today as a prime example of why those burn bans are in effect in both of their areas.
“With that no precipitation in the future, this is going to continue to get more extreme,” Lt. Dave Williams with the Seminole County Fire Department said. “Fire behavior each day, it’s going to increase. We ask residents don’t burn. Watch those burn bans.”
Williams added that fire growth is quick and urged homeowners to keep 30 feet from the woods at least.
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