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Brush fire turns into prevention move

Firefighters start a few blazes of their own at Lake Seminole Park to help keep a problem from spreading.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published March 29, 2006

SEMINOLE - Firefighters took advantage of an unexpected fire at Lake Seminole Park on Monday to do a little fire prevention by setting a blaze of their own.

Firefighters from the Pinellas County Wildland Fire Team and the Seminole Fire Department were called to the park shortly after 5 p.m. to quell a brush fire that had broken out along the northeast shore of the lake.

Officials have declared the fire suspicious because there was no apparent reason for it, such as lightning or campfire. The reason could be accidental, such as a dropped cigarette, or it could be arson.

"We may never know the exact cause of the fire," Mike Wallace, Seminole assistant fire chief, said Tuesday.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is not investigating the possibility of arson, said Sgt. Jim Bordner, a sheriff's spokesman.

When firefighters arrived at the park Monday, they created a firebreak to prevent the blaze from reaching three nearby homes.

Then they decided to take advantage of the situation, Wallace said. They lit several backfires to travel toward the original flames. The idea, said Wallace, was for the fire to consume all the possible fuel while firefighters were there. That would reduce the possibility of another fire breaking out and consuming nearby homes.

"It became a control burn is what happened," Wallace said. "In this case, we took advantage of an unfortunate situation."

The 6-acre fire was out by 11 p.m., but county officials monitored the area overnight and firefighters returned Tuesday to make sure there was no possibility of hot spots sparking another blaze.

The back recreation trails in the park are currently closed, and all other park facilities are open as normal, according to county officials.

County officials said residents should be careful when putting out cigarettes or matches. The weather has been so dry, it is easy to start a fire, they said.

They also recommended that residents avoid burning trash and carefully watch barbecue grills while the dry weather continues.

Lake Seminole Park, 10015 Park Blvd., covers more than 250 acres and hosts more than 1.2-million visitors each year.

[Last modified March 29, 2006, 01:24:18]