Bay Area firefighters continue to respond to brush fire calls as parts of region remain under burn ban
NORTH PORT, Fla. - The wildfire threat is growing by the day across the Tampa Bay area. It's already keeping firefighters busy in several counties as they work to protect homes and residents from wildfires — and there's been quite a few already.
Fire crews are asking residents under burn bans to follow them and to help prevent fires from happening.
Local perspective:
Erika Scott, 90, cleared pine cones from her yard. While the weather was perfect outside her home, she knows something is lacking.
"It's very, very dry. We hardly had any rain since September," she said.
North Port Fire Rescue responded after a spark from a grill turned into a 10-acre fire at around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday off of Tropicare Boulevard near Ulman and Albin avenues.
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"It's very bad. I’m concerned," said Scott.
The fire came right up to some homes.
"It was a tough fire. Wind driven, perfect conditions for bad fire and our crews, along with area agencies, got on scene quick, and they worked their butts off and put themselves in front of their homes and stopped this as fast as they could," said District Chief Dave Ingalls with North Port Fire Rescue.
North Port has been under a burn ban since the end of October. While grilling is allowed, Ingalls said crews continue to respond to calls every day for illegal burns.
"Hopefully, this is an eye-opener for them. The potential for a serious call is imminent," he said.
Big picture view:
It's a similar situation across the entire region. Hernando, Citrus and Pasco counties are all under burn bans. For the past few days, fire crews from all three counties have continued to respond to fast-moving brush fire calls.
That included an unauthorized burn Monday morning in Brooksville that ended with one homeowner injured.
Why you should care:
"It just takes a spark, a cigarette, somebody parking in tall grass. Their catalytic converters. You see the tall grass behind me. The grass is crunchy, and it’s dry. Just a small spark can turn into something serious for the entire neighborhood," said Ingalls.
NPFR said they are just waiting for their next call, but they are hoping that the public — wherever you live — if a burn ban is in place, that guidelines from officials are followed.
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"It just takes a small spark, and we are off to the races," said Ingalls.
If you are caught breaking the burn ban — depending on where you live — you could face a fine of a few hundred dollars, or serious violations could face jail time.
The Source: Information was gathered from North Port Fire Rescue, neighbors living near the brush fire in North Port and from Citrus County Fire Rescue, Hernando County Fire Rescue and Pasco County Fire Rescue.