A prescribed controlled burn in the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park Friday is the last piece of a larger effort to head off potential wild fires in the area.
- 2017 brush fire in area burned more than 2,000 acres in one day
- SWFWMD started controlled burn two weeks ago
- Since Oct. 1, burns in SWFWMD have covered 11,000 acres
“Last year, we had a pretty bad wild fire in here,” said Will Vangelder, land management manager for the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). “It compromised Suncoast Parkway, there were schools that shut down.”
Vangelder said that fire burned more than 2,000 acres in one day.
SWFWMD’s prescribed burn covered 30 acres, part of a 300-acre burn that began two weeks ago.
“It’s a little early in the year to start getting into the wild fire season, but all the signs indicate that it’s going to be a very busy wild fire season and has the potential to start really soon,” Vangelder said. “The preserves and reserves, they’re drying out rapidly.
"It’s been 24 days since we’ve had a decent rain," he continued. "That’s when we start paying attention to, ‘Are we secure? Do we feel like we’re prepared?’”
One neighbor told us she’s not concerned about potential wild fires.
“After having lived here for 18 years, we don’t have any concerns. We’re used to it. We just go with the flow,” said Miki Schnackel, who lives about two miles from Starkey.
Schnackel said her property wasn’t in danger during last year’s fire, but that she’s usually aware of fires in the area.
“Whenever there’s a fire around here, we can smell it – especially when the wind’s blowing in the right direction,” Schnackel said.
Vangelder said since October 1, burns conducted by SWFWMD have covered 11,000 acres with the goal of preventing wild fires.