It has been a busy year so far in Florida for wildfires. Florida Forest Service leaders are concerned and asking residents to be vigilant as extremely dry conditions continue here in the sunshine state.
“Everything was on fire. The wind was blowing hard and the fire was just roaring through the woods,” said Ken Wyatt.
A wildfire destroyed 200 outbuildings at River Ranch Park in Polk County last week, including Ken Wyatt’s trailer.
“It looked like a war zone. Propane tanks blowing up left and right, you didn’t know where it was coming from,” Wyatt said.
River Ranch has been Wyatt’s home away from home for 23 years. He lost everything in the wildfire.
“The biggest part is you lost all your memories. You know your kids grew up there, your grandkids grew up there. The structure is always replaceable, but the memories is what you lost,” Wyatt said.
That fire remains under investigation.
There have been 1,098 fires so far this season, according to the Florida Forest Service. With the lightning season around the corner, Florida Forest Service said it's expecting even more wildfires. Arson and yard debris burning are the two leading causes of wildfires in Florida.
“One spark can start a major fire and we’ve seen that in the last few months,” said Wilton Simpson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture.
He said education and prevention are key to preventing fires caused by people.
“Most people that start these fires are unintentional. They're backyard fires. There’s a barbecue grill that wasn’t put out. Amber that flies into our forest or just yard trash people burn in their backyards, and it gets out in the forest,” Simpson said.
Forest officials said now is the time to be wildfire ready.
You should prepare your home regularly by clearing your roofs and your gutters of debris. Prepare your yard by creating and maintaining a defensible buffer around your home and be vigilant if you're burning yard waste.
“Every fire that’s prevented is one that our people don’t have to go and try to put out and put them in harm's way unnecessarily. It's a very dangerous job,” said Rick Dolan, Florida Forest Service Director.
Additional aviation resources have been set up to respond to wildfires statewide.
