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Bay Area burn bans in effect as water remains a challenge in putting out fires in rural regions

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Published  April 28, 2025 9:30am EDT
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News
Brush fire warning

Brush fire warning

All counties in the FOX 13 viewing area are under a burn ban and firefighters are urging everyone to do their part to prevent wildfires. Jennifer Kveglis reports.

The Brief

    • Counties across the Bay Area have issued burn bans.
    • A more than 15-acre wildfire broke out in Wimauma on Sunday afternoon.
    • Firefighters say water remains a challenge in rural areas when it comes to battling brush fires.

WIMAUMA, Fla. - A more than 15-acre wildfire broke out in Wimauma on Sunday afternoon as the Bay Area remains under a burn ban.

For several hours, more than 20 units from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and Florida Forest Service fought the flames along Balm Wimauma Road.

READ: Hillsborough County issues burn ban as warm temperatures, dry conditions pose increased wildfire risk

What they're saying:

"We work closely with Florida Forestry by digging these plow lines around the perimeter of the fire. We will let the fire grow and burn toward the plow lines with those plow lines being natural breaks that will stop there," said Rob Herrin, chief of public information with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

Dig deeper:

The Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office choppers also responded and used Bambi Buckets to scoop water out of nearby ponds to drop onto the flames. Water tankers and brush trucks were also among the units that responded. 

READ: Clearwater Ferry crash: Boat involved in deadly hit-and-run may have been located, authorities say

"Their sole purpose is to get to areas off-road that our fire trucks can't get to. Between them and our water tanker trucks that carry 3,500 gallons of water, we can fight a brush fire without hydrants in the area and with limited access," he explained.

Herrin said access to water is a typical challenge in rural areas.

Local perspective:

Jessica Muncy saw the flames from her kitchen window on Sunday afternoon. She thought her neighbor was burning plastic. Her cows did too and moved to the far end of their pasture. 

She said, "My neighbor called and offered if we needed to move over to her house, who is even further east that we could just get a bag of feed and walk them across the street."

By 4:30 p.m. HCFR reported the flames extinguished. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No injuries or structure damage was reported. 

Big picture view:

Herrin said the dry and windy conditions put the Bay Area at peak brushfire season. 

"It's feast or famine as far as rain is concerned in this state and right now," he explained.

Maps across the Bay Area show moderate to severe droughts, which puts us in "high" fire danger.

This comes as Hernando County joined all other Bay Area counties in enacting 7-day mandatory burn bans on Sunday.

The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis. 

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