Chris Jones: Greene Publishing, Inc.
According to the Florida Forest Service (FFS), approximately 20 crew-members continue to battle a 480-acre wildfire, located near New Home, on the south side of Madison County, less then 20 miles from the Lafayette, Taylor and Jefferson County lines. Officials believe that the fire began around 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 2. As of 3 p.m. on Monday, April 3, Florida Forest Service officials report 100 percent of the fire has been contained. This means that they have established fire lines around the 480 acres, which still has active fires burning within.
A wildfire covering 480 acres of timberland in southern Madison County has been contained.
Heavy winds have made the task of controlling the fire difficult, even with help from a U.S. Forest Service air tanker, which dropped retardant on the fire on Sunday, and two helicopters, which dropped water throughout the day on Monday. Crews are also using various heavy equipment, including tractor plows to cut fire lines, and bulldozers with scrapers to reinforce those lines. Monday night's storm, which, according to some reports, dropped approximately nine inches of rain near San Pedro Bay, had a significant impact on stifling the fire. According to a spokesman from FFS, even with the help from the rain, the threat is not over. Hotspots likely remain in the area, and flare-ups are possible. FFS stated that it will likely be two to three weeks before they are able to completely withdraw from the area.
There have been no injuries reported as a result of the blaze, as it is an unpopulated area. The team battling the blaze consists of crew-members from four FFS districts (Perry, Black Water, Suwanee, and Jacksonville) and employees of Four Rivers Land and Timber, LLC, which owns the timberland. No evacuations have been ordered by the incident commander as of press time.