NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Inside the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, the fire danger meter shows moderate.
But there is a fire burning.
It’s a 175-acre prescribed burn directed by the Southwest Water Management District.
“I have seen the smoke, but I haven’t thought too much about it,” said Ross Kirtley.
Kirtley brings his dog Chewie to the Starkey Preserve multiple times a day.
“If it got dry and a fire caught this whole place would light up quick. We were literally just talking about it,” said Kirtley.
That’s just what happened in 2017 in Starkey, as more than 2000 acres burned. Smoke filled the air at nearby schools in New Port Richey.
Pasco County Fire Chief Ryan Guynn said the fire never reached any neighborhoods, but they did have to shut down part of the Suncoast Expressway.
“It was a rather large fire for our area and we were able to successfully mitigate that without losing any homes,” said Guynn.
You can go online to the Florida Forest Service’s website and keep track of fires and see which ones are prescribed burns and which are not.
Guynn said the controlled burns help eliminate dried-out vegetation and all the debris left behind from the hurricanes.
It can all turn into fuel for fires.
He said his firefighters are ready with brush trucks all around Pasco County.
He also said its gut wrenching to watch what fellow firefighters are dealing with in Southern California.
“We did the same things with the hurricanes. They're out there trying to save homes, possibly while their homes are burning at the same time,” said Guynn.
"He was just a very outstanding person."
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