Federal, State, and Local Partners Battle County Line Fire in North-Central
Incident: County Line Fire Wildfire
Released: 4/10/2012
For Immediate Release April 10, 2012 Contact: County Line Fire Information - 386-754-4561, Bonnie Strawser - 252-216-8669, or John Bearer - 717-802-4963 Federal, State, and Local Partners Battle County Line Fire in North-central Florida The County Line Fire started on Thursday evening, April 5, on the boundary between Baker and Columbia Counties in north-central Florida and was the result of a lightning strike on private land. The fire immediately burned to the south and onto Osceola National Forest. Currently, about 25,000 acres have burned, most on federal land, but some in John Bethea State Forest or on private land. All of the active fire is currently on the north and east flanks within the Osceola National Forest. There is high probability for extreme fire behavior over the next several days as winds increase and shift with an approaching cold front. Smoke conditions are expected to worsen in communities immediately adjacent to the fire, as well as Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Gainesville. Immediately after initial attack, firefighting efforts were coordinated by the US Forest Service using local interagency and industry resources, until Tuesday, April 10, when the responsibility was delegated to the Southern Area Type 2 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Mike Dueitt. Approximately 50 team members arrived on-scene over a two-day period, plus additional firefighters and equipment from across the country. This brought the total personnel to approximately 140 by Tuesday afternoon. Other resources currently assigned to the fire include 17 engines, 2 hand crews, 20 tractor plows, 2 dozers, 4 excavators, 1 road grader, 1 bat-winged mower and 4 helicopters. The fire is approximately 25% contained, which means firelines have been established around 25% of the perimeter of the fire. If the proposed containment lines hold, the final size of the fire will be approximately 35,000 acreas. The primary tactic for fire suppression has been strategic burning, where firefighters set fire from established lines, like roads, and burn to meet the oncoming wildfire. This creates an effective barrier to stop the forward progress of the fire. Strategic burning is used to fight fire when a more direct attack is not possible due to inaccessible terrain which would create unsafe conditions for firefighters. For the next several days, firefighters will work to improve containment lines, especially on the east and south flanks. Incident Commander Mike Dueitt is cautiously optimistic that the fire can be held within the current established containment lines. He said, "We plan to work with the weather and use the wind shift to allow us to strategically burn some areas we were unable to burn with the west wind we've been having. It's extremely dry, so there's always the danger of spotovers from burning embers." "Probably the greatest danger to both firefighters and the public is the reduced visibility due to smoke," said lead Safety Officer Larry Holsomback. Driving under these conditions is dangerous, even without firefighter traffic. Add the fire engines, lowboys, and heavy equipment, and you have a recipe for disaster if people don't use extreme caution. People need to slow down and be very alert when driving in smoke." Incident Meteorologist Rick Davis warns that smoke will be an issue for surrounding areas over the next few days. On Wednesday, winds are predicted to increase to 10-15 with gusts to 20 mph by mid-to-late morning and shift to west/northwest, sending smoke toward Jacksonville and St. Augustine. On Thursday, the shift will continue from the north and northeast, sending smoke toward Gainesville and Lake City. On Friday, winds will shift from northeast to east with smoke hitting Lake City and possibly Talahassee. There is a red flag warning issued for tomorrow, indicating dangerous fire weather conditions. Davis added, "Unfortunately, the area in the immediate vicinity of the fire will likely have smoke and fog most nights through mornings while the fire still burns. The overnight winds will weaken as an inversion develops and traps the smoke and fog around the fire area. As the mid-morning sun heats up the land, the atmosphere mixes out the smoke and burns off the fog." For more information about the County Line Fire, visit http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2813/ or call the Fire Information Desk at 386-754-4561 (if no answer call information officer cell numbers: 252-216-8667 or 717-802-4963)
