Second fire flares in St. James City
A brush fire broke out Wednesday afternoon on Stringfellow Road south of Turtle Trail in Saint James City. Just three days earlier on Sunday, July 17, a fire at this location burned some 50 acres.
The fire, which was close to the west side of the road, was first called in to the Pine Island Fire Department at 3:45 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Joe Marzella. Upon arrival, firefighters found that smoldering embers from Sunday’s fire had been blown by strong westerly winds across the fire break. “It’s so dry, we’ve had so little rain, conditions were very favorable for the brush and grass to ignite,” Marzella said.
Despite containment efforts on the part of the MPIFCD, the strong westerly winds blew embers further east across Stringfellow Road, igniting another fire. “With fires on both sides of the road, we had no alternative but to close Stringfellow to traffic in both directions for public safety reasons. The smoke was very thick.” The road closure occurred around 4:15 p.m.
“When conditions warrant, we have the ability to call in help from the fire district’s North Strike Team,” explained Chief David Bradley. “This includes departments from all over Lee County.”
Fire apparatus from Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, Bayshore, Tice and Alva fire departments responded to the call. In all, 28 vehicles responded along with a helicopter from the Division of Forestry which made 14 water drops on the flames. Also on scene were two tractors and a brush cutter.
Fortunately for firefighters, a hydrant was located in front of the Lousana Palms Nursery so water was readily available nearby. By 8 p.m., the fire was 90 percent contained and Stringfellow Road reopened. The fire was declared 100 percent contained at approximately 10 p.m. after having burned about 30 acres. No homes were threatened by the fire.
On Thursday, the fire was smoldering and the occasional flare up occurred.The Florida Division of Forestry and Lee County 2020 were on site.
“After the fire is contained, they come in to “mop up,” explained Marzella. “That includes digging the fire break, removing or trimming unburned vegetation and bulldozing piles of ash and burned material. All these are standard efforts to ensure, as much as possible, that the fire remains contained.”
“This fire could smolder and continue to smoke for days,” Marzella pointed out. “Some rain would be appreciated.”
The Division of Forestry was continuing mop up operations at the south end of Sunday’s fire at the time Wednesday’s fire broke out at the north end.