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Dry weather blamed for Tarpon Springs blaze

By VANESSA DE LA TORRE
Published April 8, 2006

A fire in Tarpon Springs consumed five acres of trees and heavy brush Saturday afternoon, threatened no homes,  but took a handful of agencies to contain in a suspicious blaze that one fire marshal deemed the biggest one he had seen in a year.

Investigators are trying to figure out what started it. But Rick Butcher, Tarpon Springs Fire prevention chief, already knows what whipped the fire into a frenzy.

"The high winds and dry weather," he said.

That explanation has sounded familiar the past few weeks, with brush fires materializing around a parched Tampa Bay. The drought stretched to 40 days Friday.

But relief may be on its way. 

A cold front from the panhandle is forecasted to reach our area Saturday morning, possibly bringing less than half an inch of rainfall. Some neighborhoods might experience just a quick shower.

Ernie Jillson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, called it "a start." He said it was the best chance so far this month to get more than .01-inch of rain, the point when they can start measuring and the drought can officially end. (For those wondering, the record in Tampa is 52 straight days without measureable rain, set in 1942. As of presstime, this current dry spell tied for sixth on the area's top drought list.)

The cold front also explains the pickup in winds, Jillson said. In the Tarpon Springs fire, they reached between 20 and 25 mph. "You will generally get an increase of wind speeds ahead of the cold front and behind it," he said.

When the front moves through Tampa Bay this morning, the winds will shift from southwest to northeast and taper down to the 15 mph range on land, Jillson said. Boaters might feel moderate chop or better, with winds 15 to 20 knots, and near-shore seas between 3 and 5 feet.

Those northeasterly winds can last until the middle of this week, though it doesn't appear that the National Weather Service will issue a fire weather watch, said Jillson.

Nonetheless, as some people well know: "If we don't receive much rain with this cold front, the threat of wildfire spreading is still higher than normal," Jillson said. "It's important to realize the ground is very dry."

[Last modified April 8, 2006, 21:32:16]