Two large brush fires ignited in eastern Hillsborough County on Monday amid a worsening drought gripping the Tampa Bay area and much of Florida.
One of the fires destroyed an RV and an abandoned mobile home. The other one was near the Lazydays RV Center and required firefighters to take actions to protect the businesses’ property and nearby homes, according to a media release from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
The first fire was called in at 1:18 p.m. in the area of 1823 Welcome Road in Lithia. That fire charred about five acres of land, including the RV and mobile home.
The second fire was reported near 11318 E. Sligh Ave. in Seffner about an hour later.
“The first-arriving unit requested additional resources, prompting a second alarm and a total of 24 units responding to the scene,” the Fire Rescue news release states. “Initial firefighting operations focused on protecting nearby homes and assets at the Lazydays RV Center. Crews then transitioned to containing the expansive brush fire.”
It took about two hours to bring that fire under control.
No injuries were reported in either fire.
The cause of the two fires remains under investigation, however, dry conditions likely contributed to how fast they grew, said Rob Herrin, the public safety information chief for the county’s Fire Rescue.
Dry conditions combined with wind can spread fires quickly, he said.
“Two acres will turn into four acres in the blink of an eye,” Herrin said.
Hillsborough County has areas of undeveloped, heavy brush that can provide fuel for fires.
“And it’s a dry brush right now,” Herrin said.
The county has been under an emergency ban on open burning for the last month.
Residents can use grills under the ban, but they must keep an eye on them.
“The only exceptions to the emergency burn ban are a constantly attended barbecue grill for outdoor cooking, certain agricultural enterprises in eastern and southern Hillsborough County that can dispose of agricultural plastic through controlled burns, and burning that has been specifically allowed by the Florida Forest Service,” a media release from Hillsborough County said.
Since January, more than 400 brush fires have occurred across Florida and spanned more than 11,000 acres, according to the county.
Herrin suggested limiting any dry material around residences, and to keep yards raked and free of dry dead leaves and branches to prevent fires.
“We’re prepared to work, and we’re kind of expecting some work in our future,” Herrin said. “If it’s anything like the last couple weeks, we’re going to be doing some brush fires in the next couple months.”
