Courtesy: Polk County Fire Rescue
BARTOW, Fla. - Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fire to burn nearly 200 acres in Bartow, destroyed a gooseneck trailer and closed a portion of Highway 640 on Tuesday evening.
What we know:
According to Polk County Fire Rescue, the fire had burned approximately 190 acres of grass and wooded area as of 5:45 p.m.
Firefighters said the fast-moving fire was in a grassy former mine pit.
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Crews said they worked quickly to get water on the fire to control the fire’s spread, but the unstable ground made it difficult to put equipment in the pit.
Firefighters said no structures were in danger, but a gooseneck trailer burned during the fire.
At one point, the fire jumped across Highway 640 and the road was closed due to fire equipment traffic and smoke.
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Portions of County Road 640 and County Road 555 were still closed as of 7:30 pm.
What we don't know:
It is unclear what caused the fire or when the roads will reopen.
The Source: This article was written with information provided by Todd Chlanda with the Florida Forest Service and posted on social media by Polk County Fire Rescue.