Emergency crews in Hillsborough County contained a five-acre fire in Ruskin. The blaze did not prompt evacuations.
RUSKIN, Fla. — County and state emergency crews in Hillsborough County successfully contained a fire in the Ruskin area.
According to a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesperson and information from the Florida Forest Service, the fire began shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday in the area of Goldwyn Drive in Ruskin, just south of River Vista RV Park.
Around 5 p.m., officials confirmed the fire was 100% contained.
“The fire is 5 acres in size,” the FDACS spokesperson told 10 Tampa Bay News before the blaze was contained. “The Florida Forest Service has 1 tractor plow unit on scene putting a containment line in around the fire.”
The five-acre fire did not prompt evacuations, and so far, there have been no reports of damaged or endangered structures. In addition, officials confirmed that there were no injuries.
According to officials, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was dropping water with its helicopter after the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue requested it.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, since the emergency team is still in “suppression mode.”
This incident happened roughly a week after a fire burned through 178 acres in Highlands County, prompting temporary evacuations for residents in the area.
Due to dry weather conditions over the last few months, multiple counties across the Tampa Bay area are currently under a burn ban. Hillsborough County extended its burn ban on Jan. 29.
“Although there’s been recent rainfall and cold temperatures, the overall dry conditions continue to increase the danger of wildfires in Hillsborough County,” county officials stated in the burn ban notice.