CENTRAL FLORIDA,None — Fire crews from across Central Florida have been working around the clock to keep a close watch on hot spots from a massive wildfire. The fire already consumed 16,000 acres in the area along I-95 between Volusia and Brevard counties and is only 25-percent contained, according to officials.
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Fire officials are concerned about embers blowing into unburned brush Wednesday. Crews said they are widening the buffer zone between burned and unburned brush to 50 feet. Outside resources were brought in to relieve local firefighters.
Tuesday night, part of the fire flared back up near a neighborhood in Scottsmore, but it had not caused any damage to any structures in that area. Meanwhile, crews closed down part of I-95 northbound once again near State Road 5A because of the fire Tuesday night. However, it reopened a short time later.
A firefighter, whose name has not been released, was working on a hot spot and was spraying a hose onto burning brush and received second-degree burns to the face when the scalding water, embers and debris splashed on to him. Emergency crews airlifted him to Orlando for treatment.
The rain helped put out the flames. However, it was starting to dry out and there were some hot spots in the area.
Bob Rorrer found his home in ruins.
"It's just amazing that the fire would selectively pick this. It left his, which was closer to the flames than mine," Rorrer said.
"Fortunately we had that rain come through," District Chief Tom Campbell said.
Campbell drove WFTV around the burn area. He said the weather was what created the situation to begin with.
"The couple hard freezes we had left the vegetation ready and ripe to burn," Campbell said.
Even though the rain came down and soaked the area, firefighters were still out foaming hot spots to get ahead of the fire. While firefighters were able to get the fire 25-percent contained, anxious residents such as Robert Wiggens stood watch. He noticed the wind shift, placing their home in the fire's path.
"I see the wind blowing this way. I can smell it a little bit," Wiggens said.
The State Division of Forestry still doesn't know what caused the blaze, but fire officials have been flying over the fire to get a better idea where it originated and where it is most likely to spread.
Rorrer said he will search for a new place to live while he considers how unpredictable a wildfire can actually be.
"I got nothing. It missed the shed and burned the wheel off of the lawnmower, but the lawnmower starts, so the fire is very selective," he said.
The Red Cross said 30 people affected by the wildfire showed up at two shelters set up in Brevard County Monday night. A shelter set up at the Cuyler Park Community Center at 2329 Harry T. Moore Avenue in Mims (see map), and at the Sandrift Community Center, 585 N. Singleton Avenue in Titusville(see map) helped 20 people, while the Sandrift Community Center in Titusville (see map) assisted 10 people.
The shelter located at the Sandrift Community Center 585 Singleton Avenue in Titusville shut down operations at 2:00pm on Tuesday. There were no evacuees seeking shelter at that location. The shelter located at the Cuyler Park Community Center in Mims will remain open with eight evacuees currently seeking shelter at the location.
Some parents in Brevard County had to drive their kids to school Tuesday morning. That's because several bus routes north of SR-46 were suspended because of the smoky conditions.
Pinewood Elementary in Mims was closed Tuesday, but it was reopened on Wednesday. Bus service will also be back to normal Wednesday for students north of State Road 46.
Previous Stories: March 1, 2011: 10,000-Acre Wildfire Continues To Burn, Roads Reopened
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