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Arson leading cause of Tampa Bay wildfires

While Charles Bronson, commissioner of the state Agriculture and Consumer Services Department, gives the usual warnings about preventing fires, he reveals in a presentation that human error is not to blame for most wildfires, especially in Hillsborough.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published April 24, 2006

TAMPA - You shouldn't toss burning cigarettes from car windows. Warn your children of the dangers of setting fires. Pay close attention to weather conditions before burning. Trim back your foliage. Keep hoses on hand.

Those are all good safety precautions at a time of heightened concern for wildfires. But in the Tampa Bay area, the leading cause of wildfires isn't human error.

It's arson.

Arson is suspected in more than a quarter of wildfires in Hillsborough County, and about 6 percent in Pinellas County. It's hard to say why: "There's no rhyme or reason to it," said state agriculture spokeswoman Liz Compton.

This came into focus Monday as Charles Bronson, commissioner of the state Agriculture and Consumer Services Department, visited the Tampa Bay area to warn that weeks without any significant rainfall have left us especially vulnerable to brush fires.

"We can all work together to stop any major blaze," he said.

Bronson met with reporters Monday afternoon at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Tampa was the first stop on his statewide campaign to raise awareness of the danger of wildfires during this dry part of the year.

Nearly 23,000 acres have burned across the state in wildfires so far this year. Officials are urging people to use extra caution to prevent additional fires.

Bronson also will visit Orlando, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee and Alachua County to urge people to heed the fire danger.

How does the danger in this region compare with other parts of the state?

It's hard to say, Compton said.

Palm Beach County has a higher number on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index than Hillsborough County. The index, a measure of the dampness in the soil, is an indicator of the potential for wildfires. But each part of the state has different factor to take into account, she said.

The important thing to know is that much of the state is at risk and to be careful, Bronson said.

Officials are doing what they can to cut down the risk, including controlled burns, he said.

Controlled burns are used to trim down underbrush, reducing the "fuel" available if a wildfire starts. Unlike wildfires, controlled burns don't get hot enough to kill trees, he said, so it's better to have a controlled burn than an out-of-control blaze.

"One saves the ecosystem, the other one destroys it," he said.

Officials are still doing controlled burns, but Bronson asked that residents check with the state Division of Forestry before burning.

Most of all, he said, just pay close attention and let authorities know if there's a fire.

"In these conditions, everyone is at risk," he said.

[Last modified April 24, 2006, 20:54:03]