Gov. Rick Scott declares state of emergency as brush fires vex Pasco firefighters

LAND O'LAKES — Gov. Rick Scott issued a statewide state of emergency on Tuesday as more than 100 wildfires burned across a scorched and parched state. Meanwhile in Pasco County, firefighters brought one brush fire under control but struggled to contain another.

More than half of Florida is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, fueling fires that have swept across 68,000 acres since February.

In Pasco County, dry land and arid air hampered firefighters trying to control two wildfires, known as the "Silver Palm fire" and the "campground fire," that have been burning since Monday.

Both are south of State Road 52 and west of the Suncoast Parkway. Both took place on terrain that made it difficult for fire crews to surround the blazes.

Those two fires come on the heels of an 1,100 acre wildfire in Hernando County — which officials called the "water tower fire" — that at one time threatened homes and a church before firefighters fought it back on Monday.

"This may only get worse as we enter the hotter summer months, and it is crucial that we take every action right now to be prepared," the governor said in a statement issued Tuesday. "It is incredibly important that wildfire response is swift and deliberate, and this state of emergency will make it easier for our state, regional and local agencies to quickly work together to protect our families, visitors and communities."

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In Pasco, the Silver Palm fire grew to 30 acres Tuesday, up from 25 earlier in the day, and only 25 percent of it had been contained. Officials initially issued a voluntary evacuation order for the nearby Suncoast Lakes subdivision Monday afternoon, but the order was lifted later that night.

But firefighters on Tuesday did manage to fully contain the larger campground fire, which was farther west and covered 75 acres in the Serenova Tract area of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve.

Bound in by the subdivision on one side and the Suncoast Parkway on the other, fire crews struggled to maneuver around the Silver Palm fire to establish fire lines. The fire was no longer a threat to the neighborhood, but flames come as close as 100 yards to houses.

In some ways it was a harder fire to fight than the water tower fire, said Florida Forest Service incident commander John DeWolfe, even though it's only a fraction of the size.

"(This)is bordering this subdivision, so that's a challenge right there," he said. "The second thing is this fire is almost entirely in a swamp, where there's was mostly entirely on high ground ... Putting this equipment into a swamp, you're looking for problems with getting stuck right off the bat."

Also, he said, firefighters couldn't use a technique called back burning, where crews intentionally ignite foliage adjacent to the wildfire to burn away its fuel, because of the proximity to the houses. Back burning was an important technique for those fighting the water tower fire.

"The vegetation is so close to the homes, that if we tried to use the same technique they did in Hernando, the houses are so close to the radiant heat and the chance of embers landing on their screen rooms is very high," DeWolfe said.

Instead, fire crews are going to have to wait for the fire to come to them. The Forest Service brought in extra bulldozers to help create fire lines, and a tool called a gyrotrac, essentially a dozer-sized lawn mower that tears vegetation to the ground.

Using the gyrotrac, crews pushed the tree line back behind the houses about 50 feet, creating a buffer. If the fire gets to the tree line, crews can stand in backyards and safely hose it down.

"We've got enough resources on scene that we're pretty confident that if the fire comes up toward the subdivision, we'll keep it in check," DeWolfe said.

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But the brush fires could still cause problems for people with respiratory illnesses. Pasco County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Andy Fossa said he lives near the fires, and there was dense smoke Monday night in his neighborhood.

"My best advice is to keep your windows shut, keep your air conditioning on, (and) you should be able to weather this out," Fossa said.

The Silver Palm fire forced the Kelly family to begin packing the big white trailer in their driveway a day late as the fire and forestry trucks that filled their cul-de-sac Monday kept them inside. They're moving from their rental home in Suncoast Lakes to Virginia later this month.

"I didn't want to get in the way," said Darren Kelly, 46.

No flames were visible from Kelly's home on Locustberry Court on Monday, but smoke plumed from behind the tree line. His cars, deck and roof were covered in ash, he said.

"It was scary at first," said Kelly's wife, Lorie Kelly, 49.

The family assembled essential belongings in their car in case the fire got too close and they had to make a quick getaway to a friend's house.

"But once (firefighters) got their equipment in," Lorie Kelly said, "they assured us that it was safe."

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The two Pasco fires started Monday afternoon just as crews wrapped up the Hernando County fire. Last week, a fire in Pinellas County shut down the Interstate 275/Gandy Boulevard interchange, snarling traffic for miles during the Friday evening rush hour.

It's the reality Floridians live with until the rainy season starts in June, said Forest Service spokeswoman Judith Tear.

"We are dry and it is hot," she said. "These are ripe conditions for wildfire."

The governor's order should help in the effort by making it easier for local, state and federal officials to cooperate and allowing state and local officials to cut administrative red tape to ensure efficient firefighting and evacuations, if necessary.

For counties fighting fires, the order allows them to request state reimbursement for equipment and overtime costs. The order also put the Florida National Guard on alert and activated price controls for essential supplies and provisions.

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Local officials said they'll do their part as well. Pasco Emergency Services director Kevin Guthrie said the County Commission is set to meet Wednesday and will likely consider imposing a burn ban in the county while conditions remain so dry. The Hernando County Commission unanimously approved its own burn ban on Tuesday, which will run through May 23.

"We're really trying to keep the possibility of open-flame and intentional-flame (fires) down," Guthrie said.

Tear said it's a good idea for residents to prepare for wildfires, just as they would get ready for a hurricane. That means assembling evacuation kits and consolidating important paperwork ahead of time.

"Because if you're asked to evacuate quickly, the chances of you taking the right stuff probably are not going to happen," Tear said. "Hurricanes, sometimes you have a week, 72 hours notice. Wildfires can happen very, very quick."

Contact Josh Solomon at (813) 909-4613 or jsolomon@tampabay.com. Follow @josh_solomon15.