For Immediate Release

June 27, 2012

Joe Zwierzchowski Information Officer/Wildfire Mitigation Specialist Florida Forest Service Blackwater Forestry Center E-mail: Joe.Zwierzchowski@freshfromflorida.com

South Interstate Fire remains at 250 acres

Milton, FL Officials with Florida Forest Services Blackwater Forestry Center report that the South Interstate Fire near Avalon Boulevard in Milton is holding at 250 acres and currently is 90% contained. The fire started on the north of side of Interstate 10 after a piece of equipment caught fire in a grassy area near the end of San Pablo Street, officers with the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement said. The fire was called in to the Forest Service at approximately 12:30 p.m. Nearby weather stations clocked wind speeds upward of 20 miles an hour at the time of the fire and the South Interstate Fire was spread as far south as the Pearson Road/Pandora Drive area by 2:45 p.m. The fire was not one contiguous line of flames but rather a series of smaller spot fires pushed by the wind and dry conditions brought on by Tropical Storm Debby. The fire not only jumped containment lines put in by FFS tractor/plow units but also cleared Indian and Trout bayous as well as Avalon Boulevard. Florida Highway Patrol closed Avalon Boulevard from the interstate south to Mary Kitchens Road at 3:15 p.m. The road was reopened to traffic at about 7:15 p.m. We had great cooperation and effort from Florida Highway Patrol, Santa Rosa County Sheriffs Office as well as Avalon, Bagdad, Harold, Skyline, Pace and Midway fire departments, said incident commander Rena Barnes, Forest Area Supervisor for the Florida Forest Service. Without their help and the hard work of our crews, this couldve been a lot worse. The fire severely damaged the transmitter site of radio station 1330 AM WEBY, General Manager Mike Bates said in a press release. Power to the transmitter site was cut Tuesday afternoon and the station switched to a backup transmitter.

The fact that this fire came just a few weeks after the torrential rains we had should serve as a warning for residents in our area that the threat of wildfire in Florida and especially this region right now is very, very real, said Joe Zwierzchowski, Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for the FFS. There are steps people can take, as far as trimming back vegetation in their yards, tree limbs and landscaping techniques that will make their homes better protected in case of a wildfire. We strongly urge people to visit firewise.org or contact us at the Forest Service for home and neighborhood assessments and suggestions on what might need to be done. Forest Service crews remained on scene over night to monitor and respond to any hot spots after initial attack crews secured lines around all of the spot fires. In all, there were 10 tractor/plow units, three brush trucks, a fixed wing aircraft and one helicopter from the Florida Forest Service. The helicopter made 37 water drops at 300 gallons per drop (11,100 gallons total) which was a great aid in combating the rapidly spreading fire. Today, crews are mopping smoldering hot spots and reinforcing lines as needed. We are working to map the burned areas with GPS and get a more accurate acreage. Updates will come when new information is available. For more information, contact Joe Zwierzchowski with the Florida Forest Service at (850) 957-6140 ext. 127 or (850) 206-2675. - END -