ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — It doesn’t take much for a fire to spark in Northwest Florida, especially in times of severe drought.
That’s the case for counties in the WEAR News viewing area, with some even seeing extreme drought conditions. We’re already seeing just how quickly those fires can start.
A prime example is the small brush fire that ignited Wednesday afternoon. And if it hadn’t been for the Florida Forest Service’s quick response it could have been much worse.
“This is one of several wildfires we’ve had recently in the district,” said Joe Zwierzchowski with Florida Forest Service.
Zwierzchowski says this fire near Cantonment was spotted by the Forest Service pilot who patrols daily.
“You know, eyes in the sky is a big deal, because not only can he spot the smoke, but he can get over it, figure out what it is,” Zwierzchowski said. “He’s a trained wildland firefighter as well, and so he can describe what he’s seeing on the ground.”
The cause of this fire in Northern Escambia County is still under investigation. But with the current weather conditions, the Forest Service says it only takes a spark.
“Humans are 100% our No. 1 cause throughout the state,” said Zwierzchowski.
Zwierzchowski says it’s easy to spot a pattern.
“The No. 1 thing that we see this time of year is, it’s nice, it’s warm out, it’s finally good weather,” Zwierzchowski said. “We’re out of winter, so people want to clean up the yard. You know, they want to rake leaves, pile up the brush, and then the easiest way to get rid of it is to burn it. So they go inside, they just want to get a drink, they leave a fire unattended, and it gets away.”
The Emergency Operations Center in Santa Rosa County has been busy monitoring conditions.
“So we have had several brush fires and several piles that have gotten out of hand within Santa Rosa County in the past, you know, several weeks,” said Tom Lloyd, Santa Rosa County’s public safety director.
Emergency management talks with the Forest Service and the National Weather Service regularly.
The Forest Service says low humidity, paired with high winds, is the perfect recipe for a wildfire. It’s just a matter of time.
“As dry as it is, and as many fires as we’ve had, we haven’t had that one big fire yet,” Zwierzchowski said. “We haven’t had the wrong fire in the wrong place on the wrong day.”
Peak wildfire season started in April and it continues through May and June. And with no significant rainfall in the forecast, crews are gearing up for it to be a very busy season.
Right now, there are no burn bans in place for Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.
The Forest Service says they’ll actively monitor the conditions, and if they worsen, they’ll work with county government to have bans instated.