Volusia Complex scorches thousands of acres on Florida's eastern coast
AP PHOTO/ORLANDO SENTINEL
Fanned by high winds, both the New Smyrna Beach Fire & the Edgewater Fire jumped I-95, prompting officials to close the interstate. |
Not even one year after Hurricane Wilma hit Florida, brush fires are racing through areas of the state littered with hurricane-downed trees. According to the Florida Division of Forestry (DOF), there have been more than 2,200 brush fires in Florida so far this year.
One of the worst hit areas is Volusia County, where the Volusia Complex-comprised of the Rasley Road Fire, New Smyrna Beach Fire and Edgewater Fire-forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 residents, charred approximately 3,500 acres and prompted the on-again, off-again closure of Interstate 95, one of the most heavily traveled interstates in the country.
Rasley Road Fire
On May 5, at approximately 1450 hrs, a fire ignited near Rasley Road in New Smyrna Beach, a coastal community about 15 miles south of Daytona Beach. In less than six hours, the fast-moving fire charred 1,000 acres, likely fueled by palmetto and pine.
Approximately 50 safety personnel from Volusia County Fire Services, the Deltona Fire Department, the DOF, Seminole County Fire Services and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office were first on scene. Three helicopters and one airtanker made water drops throughout the day, and seven bulldozers worked through the night.
Firefighters made significant progress on the northeast side of the fire overnight; by morning, crews had established firelines around most of the fire. By late morning, 72 safety personnel were on scene, as well as nine brush trucks, three engines, three tankers, 14 bulldozers and one DOF helicopter. Later that day, with the fire 80 percent contained, several areas spotted over control lines; however, firefighters were able to re-establish firelines by that evening.
On May 7, firefighters began mop-up operations on the Rasley Road Fire, which had burned 1,060 acres. Unfortunately, later that day, an even larger, more threatening blaze erupted in the same area.
PHOTO COURTESY STUART MCELHANEY/FLORIDA DIVISION OF FORESTRY
On May 5, helicopters and airtankers made water drops on the Rasley Road Fire, and bulldozers worked through the night. |
New Smyrna Beach Fire
At approximately 1500 hrs, a brush fire ignited in the woods on the west side of I-95 in New Smyrna Beach. Fanned by high winds, the fire quickly jumped I-95, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people, mostly from the Sugar Mills Estates. Authorities also closed I-95 between New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange, about 10 miles to the north, due to low visibility from the smoke.
Crews from the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department, Volusia County Fire Services, Edgewater Fire and Rescue, Port Orange Fire and Rescue and the DOF Bunnell district office responded to the blaze. Crews worked defensively, building containment lines in the Sugar Mills Estates area. The blaze then took a major run, burning 1,200 acres and two homes by the following morning.
On May 8, control of the fire was transferred to the DOF Red Team, a Type 2 incident management team (IMT) under the direction of Incident Commander Gary Beauchamp. "Local crews did a good job of putting in the initial containment lines," Beauchamp says. "By the time we got there, there was at least some containment."
Approximately 150 firefighters from the DOF and area structural departments were soon actively involved in fire suppression. There were at least 35 apparatus in the field, as well as one DOF helicopter, one DOF fixed-wing aircraft and eight bulldozers from the DOF and Volusia County Fire Services. Additionally, Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency that evening, deploying aviation units from the Florida National Guard.
Although the fire was now 70 percent contained, hot spots continued to flare up, primarily on the west side of I-95. The total acres burned soon hit 1,320.
One-tenth of an inch of rain fell in the area on May 10, providing little relief for crews now beginning mop-up operations. Crews focused on improving containment lines plowed around the perimeter of the fires, widening them between 30 and 40 feet.
Additionally, the fire had burned out the root systems of many trees along I-95, causing them to become unstable. DOF officials feared that charred trees could fall along the roadway, endangering motorists, and therefore recommended that portions of the interstate remain closed while trees were cleared. On May 11, a four-person DOF crew spent five hours inspecting and marking compromised trees along a stretch of I-95; the following day, a private contractor removed the vulnerable trees and placed them at least 75-100 feet away from the interstate.
Crews spent the next couple of days widening firelines and drenching smoldering areas with water. But as the Rasley Road and New Smyrna Beach fires neared containment, a third ignited on May 15, adding one more fire to the Volusia Complex.
Edgewater Fire
The Edgewater Fire started about 3 miles south of the New Smyrna Beach Fire. It too started on the west side of I-95 and quickly jumped the interstate. Fire officials had a containment line around the fire by the evening of May 16, and the fire was 65 percent contained by May 18.
The Edgewater Fire ran in sand pine that had been damaged in the hurricanes. Beauchamp says the fire burned through wetlands that are now dry. "These are some of the worst fuels in Florida," he says. "It's difficult to get equipment in there." He adds that the Edgewater Fire was likely human-caused, but that all three fires are still under investigation.
Still Burning
According to incident management reports, by May 22, the Rasley Road Fire was 100 percent contained at 1,157 acres, and the New Smyrna Beach Fire was 100 percent contained at 1,569 acres. By May 27, the Edgewater Fire was 90 percent contained at 834 acres with an unknown containment date. The fires cost approximately $507,000 to fight.
Ira Jolly with the Florida DOF says these incidents were characterized by erratic winds, intense burning conditions, dry fuels and rapid fire spread. "The low humidity and high winds are a common problem throughout the spring," he says. "It's definitely a dry time of year for us." And according to Beauchamp, the dryness of the fuels may be a major factor in coming months: "We're approaching lightning season, which is our biggest concern right now because of the dryness of the fuels."
