CNN.com
PALM BAY, Fla. — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday it was "unconscionable" that someone would set the wildfires that have scorched the central portion of the state but promised harsh consequences if an arsonist is caught.
"That's why we have jail," he said Tuesday afternoon. "To lock people like that up for a very long time."
Investigators said the fires flared up within hours of each other in various locations, which points to a deliberate act of arson, Palm Bay Police Chief Bill Berger said.
"People do this for fascination, for thrills... The word is sick," he said.
The fires have caused $4.2 million in damage in the city of Palm Bay and 162 homes have been damaged or destroyed.
The Palm Bay fires have scorched 3,500 acres, but most of the flames are contained, a fire marshal said Tuesday.
A total of 108 wildfires have burned 17,000 acres in the state, Crist said, with nine of those fires being very serious.
Nearly 1,200 tips about suspicious people and activity have flooded the police hot line, Berger said. Although six detectives are tracking the tips, Berger said they have no solid leads on a suspect.
Palm Bay Mayor John Mazziotti said a $10,000 reward was in place for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for starting the fire.
"I think it's sick," Halie Vail, whose neighbor lost a house, told CNN affiliate WFTV-TV. "I think they'll probably burn in hell. They created hell; they'll burn in hell for it."
Palm Bay Fire Marshal Mike Couture said teams going door to door have found damage ranging from burned fences to leveled homes.
Although winds are expected to pick up in the afternoon, Couture said he hoped the situation would stabilize.
"[We are] praying that nothing continues to happen here," he said.
Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said no deaths had been reported from the wildfires.
"We've lost some homes, but we haven't lost any lives," Fugate said. "We want to keep it that way." See iReporters' photos of the blazes
The Brevard County city on Florida's Atlantic side has not announced mandatory evacuations, Assistant Fire Chief John Stables said.
"We're handling it on a case-to-case basis depending on the conditions of the homes and things like that," Stables said.
Stables and Mazziotti said the city was running short of resources to fight the fire.
"We've exhausted all local resources, and we're utilizing several resources from around the state," Stables said.
"We're in a really bad situation right now with the drought index," he said. "We have no rain, and in turn, this wind has caused us a great deal of issue with that as well."
Residents took it upon themselves to try to help each other. Matt Call and Robert Johnson were part of a group running to fire lines to help strangers.
"If this house goes, then it is going to jump to the next house and then the next house and then eventually to mine," Johnson told CNN affiliate WKMG-TV.
Crist declared a state of emergency Monday as the fires spread, fed by drought conditions and strong winds. Crist activated the National Guard to help battle the blazes and help with evacuations.
All 18 schools in Palm Bay were closed Tuesday, according to the Brevard County Public Schools' Web site.
Palm Bay wasn't the only place affected by the drought-fueled wildfires. A 2,500-acre fire burned south of Palm Bay near Malabar and continued to flare up Tuesday morning, according to Brevard County Fire and Rescue spokesman Orlando Dominguez.
That fire had destroyed at least four homes and damaged several others.
Florida state Sen. Mike Haridopolous, who toured heavily damaged areas of the state with other officials, praised residents for coming together to salvage what they could. Haridopolous said residents told him how they tied their garden hoses together and fought fires as a group.
"What we saw last night were literally dreams about to go up with the fire," he said. "Now, a lot of people still have that dream: their home."
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