Firefighters had managed by Wednesday to contain 40 percent of a wildfire that erupted Saturday in Everglades National Park/NPS
A fire possibly sparked by campers at the Long Pine Key Campground in Everglades National Park had spread across nearly 4,000 acres, though crews reported that it was 40 percent contained by Wednesday morning.
The blaze was spotted Saturday. Park staff quickly evacuated the campground and called in crews to battle the flames, which were burning across pine rocklands and sawgrass prairie, Everglades spokeswoman Allyson Gantt said Wednesday.
Air resources battling the blaze included two helicopters and two airtankers, while seven fire engines were aiding 39 ground crews, she said.
Fortunately, park crews recently had completed two prescribed burns in the area -- one of nearly 1,000 acres to the east of this blaze and another about 1,500 acres to the west -- and those burns helped crews contain the fire, said Ms. Gantt.
The fire had been considered a threat to the historic Nike Missile Base in the park, but crews were able to prevent it from burning through that site, she said.
The blaze reportedly was a threat to key habitat for the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, an endangered species. Cause of the fire had not yet been determined.
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Comments
What a shame. So few of these are lightning strikes, and so many seem to have careless human origins.