Wildfire risks could grow over next 10 weeks, officials warn

Firefighters continued Tuesday to battle 11 active wildfires in Northeast Florida, including a 4,100-acre conflagration burning around the Clay-Putnam County line and a 2,500-acre blaze in northwest Baker County.

Some of the fires have burned since the weekend, forcing families to evacuate homes as state and local firefighters are joined by aircraft and bulldozers to extinguish advancing flames or block the fires’ advance.

State and local officials held a news conference Tuesday to update Clay and Putnam county residents about their wildfire, formed when a fire near Crews Road in Clay County merged with another near West Tocoi in Putnam County.

State Forester Rick Dolan warned that fire problems could get worse as we face the worst drought in 20 years.

“Unfortunately, we’ve got eight to 10 more weeks of this,” Dolan said. “There’s no rain in the forecast — predictive services have been right on the money since the fall, and unfortunately, the weather people are correct this time. And they are predicting us to be drier through the end of June — drier than normal, which means we are going to have higher fire activity between now and the end of June.”  

Since the start of the year, 1,797 wildfires on state and federal lands in Florida have consumed 103,211 acres, according to the Forest Service.

Last year, the state recorded 2,913 fires that burned 228,183 acres.

But crews have begun to stop the current wildfires, due to help from the state and a dozen-plus bulldozers to cut fire breaks, Clay County Fire Chief Lorin Mock said.

“The air assets yesterday were essential. That support was phenomenal and stopped cold the fire progression in a high fire danger time,” he said during the news conference in Green Cove Springs. “We were in red flag conditions with very high winds, and frankly without that support, we would not be standing here. … We are maintaining structural protection. The Forest Service has literally created interstate highways along fire lines.”

State wildfire equipment is being staged in four areas across North Florida: Tallahassee, Lake City, Cecil Field in Jacksonville and Cross City in Dixie County, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said during the news conference. 

Drought conditions have led to wildfires all over North Florida in recent days, fueling one of the most active brush fire seasons in decades.

An extreme drought designation exists from Volusia to Nassau counties and as far west as Alachua and Levy counties, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Among the fires:

• Five fires were reported in Putnam County as of Monday. One just northeast of San Mateo was under control Tuesday afternoon.

• Three wildfires were reported Tuesday in Nassau County. A 500-acre blaze near Connor-Nelson Road in West Hilliard was 80% contained, as was a 100-acre fire just east of that one. A 1-acre fire was almost totally contained north of that community, the Forest Service said.

• A 2-acre blaze near Pritchard Road on Jacksonville’s Westside was fully contained.

Baker, Clay, Nassau and Putnam counties all have enacted burn bans in response to the drought.

Burning is prohibited year-round without a permit in Duval County, but Jacksonville also issued a total burn ban late Tuesday. Violations can result in a misdemeanor citation.

The ban prohibits all bonfires and open burning in Duval County. Outdoor grilling is allowed if done safely, but the city advises people that a spark could cause a fire.

The city noted that conditions “are as dangerous as they get.”

“This is a straightforward ask,” Mayor Donna Deegan said in a news release. “Don’t burn. It’s the best thing residents can do right now to protect their family, their neighbors, and the firefighters who are working hard to keep Jacksonville safe.”

Director/Fire Chief Percy Golden II said: “What we need right now is for our community to do its part. One spark in this environment can become a crisis very quickly.”

In response to the worsening drought, the Duval County Emergency Operations Center has moved to a Level 2, partial activation, allowing personnel to focus on the fire danger and coordinate resources if needed.

Merged wildfires

Late Monday, a 1,000-acre fire known as the Railroad Complex blaze northeast of U.S. 17 and north of Bostwick — only about 5% contained at the time — merged with another fire near West Tocoi in Putnam County.

Just after 4 p.m. Monday, Clay County Fire Rescue announced that the Sheriff’s Office was shutting down U.S. 17 at the Clay-Putnam County line because smoke had obscured drivers’ visibility.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office also stopped traffic early Tuesday on West Tocoi Road from Eagle Creek into Clay County due to smoke. That fire also halted Amtrak train service through the area.

The wildfire prompted voluntary evacuations for Guthrie Road, Boogerville Road, Hunter Road and White Tail Trail late Monday, Putnam County officials said.

Wildfire protection

Fire officials said the joined fire in Clay and Putnam counties — the largest of 11 burning in Northeast Florida — was 50% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. But Mock warned residents near the fires, to be ready to evacuate if things get worse.

“As we are standing here, you can feel the wind beginning to kick up again as were predicted for the afternoon,” Mock said. “We are preparing for another bad afternoon. But so far we have been very successful here, and the residents have heeded our calls to leave when necessary.”

RELATED: Live tracking Florida’s wildfires

Dolen also warned residents to make a defensible space around their homes and clear away anything flammable. That is because the peak fire season, with lightning-producing thunderstorms, is still weeks away in late May.

“You have to do that — we can’t be everywhere,” he said. “The fire service cannot be everywhere. It is the landowner and homeowner’s responsibility to take care of themselves and protect themselves — give firefighters a chance to save your property, because without that defensible space, we don’t have much of a chance.”

Tips on how to prepare a property for the wildfire season can be found at Be Wildfire Ready Florida, Dolen said.

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Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.