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Wildfire Burns on Air Force Base in Florida

May 30, 2012

A wildfire has been active for several days on Eglin Reservation near Hurlburt Field.

Source Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach

A plume of smoke blots out the sun over the Santa Rosa Mall in Mary Esther, Fla. on May 29.

EGLIN, Fla. -- A wildfire has been active for several days on Eglin Reservation near Hurlburt Field.

About 300 acres of a remote, swampy area northwest of the base is currently involved, according to Mike Spaits, an environmental spokesman with Eglin Air Force Base.

The fire, which was first noticed Thursday, is believed to have reignited from a controlled burn conducted in the area on Tuesday, Spaits said.

"It's going to continue to burn until we get significant rainfall, which doesn't appear to be in the picture," Spaits said. "It's inaccessible to people and equipment for a variety reasons."

Spaits said they are currently working with the U.S. Forest Service to bring in a skycrane helicopter that will dump water over the fire to help contain it.

The 46th Test Wing's UH-1 "Huey" helicopters will also be used when possible to do that, he said.

The fire is taking place in an area that doesn't typically burn, but Spaits said wind conditions brought by Tropical Storm Beryl likely played a role in this particular fire.

The good news, he said, was that the fire isn't likely to expand much further because of its location between natural fire lines such as creeks and ponds.

A few smaller fires have been spotted about a quarter mile away from it, but officials are standing by to handle the flames.

"We are sending of some (Jackson Guard fire management crews) and strategically positioning them to be able to respond rapidly if necessary around Hurlburt Field," Spaits said.

Residents of Mary Esther are currently feeling the greatest impact from the wildfire because of "nighttime inversion" which pushes the smoke back down to ground level, allowing it to spread into nearby areas, Spaits said.

Several residents reported to finding ash on their vehicles Tuesday morning.

Spaits said those type of conditions aren't likely to go away until the area sees significant rainfall and he encouraged anyone with respiratory issues to remain indoors.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service