Florida Wildfires 2007 Update May 20th, 2007

I finally have some good news regarding the major Florida Wildfires I've told you about previously!

Let start with updates:

The Bugaboo Fire is 80% contained!  It is still burning, but it is burning inside of itself and has not jumped the  containment lines. The people who have been evacuated are allowed to go home but are asked to remain "on alert". Officials said they are "in much better shape then they were several days ago." Roads in the area are currently open. The Bugaboo Fire has burned 121,319 acres to date. Lightning was the cause.

The Dairy Road Fire in Bradford County is also 80% contained! No new structures have been damaged. 15,009 acres burned, cause of this fire was lightning.

The Balsa Fire in Collier County is 100% contained! 18,027 acres burned, once again lightning was the cause of the fire.

The Flagler Airport Road Fire in Flagler/Volusia Counties is 85% contained! 6,575 acres burned, cause is unknown.

The Red Oak Fire in Lake County is 95% contained! 881 acres burned, cause was not stated.

The Lee Fire also in Lake County is 95% contained! 2,551 acres burned, once again the cause was not stated.

• The last 3 fires mentioned are being investigated by Type III Incident Management Team. I guess that they don't think lightning started the last two. The Airport Road Fire began on a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky I'm almost positive lightning is ruled out as a "suspect".

The Middle Of Nowhere Fire in Charlotte County is 90% contained! 6,500 acres burned, it is located in swamp land somewhere near HWY 3, the cause was lightning.

The BICY Complex Fire in Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County is a group of fires that appear to have been started by lightning around May 4^th. 42,900 acres total have been burned, it is unclear to me if the Balsa Fire is part of this complex.

Link to other "Significant Florida Fires"

Our Fire Weather Outlook is NOT GOOD

We have very dry conditions and Red Flag warnings throughout the state, with a very slim chance of rain.

The following counties are under a BURN BAN

Alachua
Baker
Bay
Bradford
Citrus
Clay
Columbia
Escambia
Flagler
Franklin
Glades
Gulf
Hendry
Hernando
Holmes
Lafayette
Lake
Lee
Marion
Martin
Nassau Okaloosa
Okeechobee
Palm Beach
Pasco
Polk County
Putnam
Santa Rosa
Seminole
Sumter
St. Lucie
Taylor
Union
Volusia Unincorporated and the cities of DeBary, DeLand, Deltona, Lake Helen, Oak Hill, Pierson

Smoke and Your Health

- If you have a lung condition such as asthma, stay indoors. Run the air conditioner and keep windows closed. If you must go outside, cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Keep windows closed in your car and run the air conditioner.
- If you use an inhaler, keep it handy. If you notice an increase in symptoms, call your doctor.
- Even if you don't have lung problems, you might still suffer from red eyes, a cough or difficulty breathing. Stay indoors as much as possible.
SOURCES: Drs. Richard Lockey, Daniel Haim and Steven Podnos

My Sources: The Florida Division of Forestry, NOAA and The Orlando Sentinel.