PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – Florida is experiencing an unusual surge in winter wildfires due to severe drought conditions and the absence of tropical storms in the previous season, according to state forestry officials.
Over just the last week, Putnam County had 12 fires.
“We did see a rapid increase in wildfire occurrence throughout Florida, but definitely here in north central Florida over the weekend,” said Ludie Bond, Public Information Officer with the Florida Forest Service.
Bond explained that a combination of severe to extreme drought conditions, recent hard freezes that cured grasses, and extremely strong winds led to the increase in fire activity.
The lack of tropical systems in the previous summer has created particularly dangerous conditions. “We were very thankful that we didn’t have damages from hurricanes or tropical systems, but we didn’t have the rain that is so critical to be able to conduct prescribed burns this time of year,” Bond said.
The timing of these fires is notably unusual, according to Bond. “Usually it’s the spring months when Florida has the increase in wildfire activity,” she said. “The spring months is when we usually see the majority of wildfires, not the winter months.”
The Florida Forest Service maintains significant firefighting capabilities to address these challenges. “We are the second largest state-owned fleet of aerial firefighting equipment in the nation, second to Cal Fire,” Bond said. The fleet includes fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and drones.
Addressing the current Pace Court fire situation, Bond reported the fire is “75% contained” while remaining at 314 acres. She explained why residents continue to see smoke: “There’s still unburned pockets of vegetation within that dry swamp bed... it’s those unburned pockets of fuel, not just on the surface, but in the ground.”
The underground nature of the fire presents ongoing challenges. “Now that the ground fuels are ignited, the fire will tunnel and burrow underground. And it can go 20, 30, 50 feet underground,” Bond said. “This fire could continue on for a while and put up a lot of smoke.”
Looking ahead, conditions may worsen before they improve. “The weather predictions are calling for continued dry conditions for several more months,” Bond said, noting that drought conditions are expected to persist through April, but she says the Fire Service team is ready.
As of Monday, Putnam County has enforced a burn ban, so residents should not be doing any outdoor burning.