Firefighters from the Florida Forest Service’s Blackwater Forestry Center are back on the scene of the Five Mile Swamp Fire to work on improving fire lines and increasing containment. The fire is estimated at 150 acres and is 40% contained.
The fire is north of Interstate 10, east of Avalon Boulevard and the former Moors golf course and south of the Santa Rosa County Landfill. The fire was sparked by an escaped prescribed burn conducted by a contractor on private land. No structures were threatened as the fire never got closer than half a mile from the nearest residences which were located along Ski Lane and surrounded by water. Structure protection crews were in place from Avalon and Bagdad fire departments as a precautionary measure.
Six tractor/plow units (bulldozers) are working the fire this morning with 10 tractor/plows involved at the height of the firefighting efforts. A Florida Forest Service helicopter made more than 100 drops from a 300-gallon water bucket yesterday and will be available as needed today as well as a fixed-wing aircraft for reconnaissance purposes.
There is no estimate on a containment date for this fire but it is anticipated that crews will be working for the next several days.
Residents and motorists will encounter lingering smoke and are asked to use caution while driving, treat it as fog and use their low-beam headlights. Motorists should pull safely off the road and wait for the smoke to disperse if conditions warrant.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects wildfire on more than 26 million acres. Learn more at FDACS.gov/FLForestService.
