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500-acre brush fire in Picayune Strand State Forest was an aborted prescribed burn
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The 500-acre fire that burned Monday in the Picayune Strand State Forest was a proscribed burn that was aborted when the humidity unexpectedly dropped, said Gerry LaCavera, wildfire mitigation specialist with the Florida Division of Forestry.
Firefighters started the burn Monday morning, and expected to burn about 1,800 acres, LaCavera said. Instead, they aborted the burn when it reached about 500 acres.
"They had an unexpected humidity drop," LaCavera said. "The humidity dropped down below 40. They thought it was too dangerous to continue at that time."
About 30 firefighters from East Naples, Golden Gate, Ochopee and the Florida Division of Forestry began battling the fire between 102 Avenue and 112 Avenue along Everglades Boulevard on Monday. The Division of Forestry utilized helicopters to battle the fire, which burned deep in the forest.
The fire was moving southeast throughout the day.
The proscribed burn was part of the Division of Forestry’s ongoing land management program, LaCavera said. By 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday the fire appeared to be completely under control, LaCavera said.
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