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Firefighters work to contain brush blaze

By JOHN FRANK
Published October 24, 2006

INVERNESS - Dozens of firefighters battled a 50-acre brush fire Monday night in Citrus County, bulldozing a swamp in an effort to control the blaze before fire conditions escalate today.

An area woman reported smelling smoke at 4:20 p.m. near the Flying Eagle recreation area 8 miles east of Inverness, according to local authorities.

A large plume of smoke could be seen as far south as Dade City, but the fire threatened no homes as it consumed mostly parkland managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The cause of the flareup is under investigation, officials said.

Citrus County firefighters and a crew from the state Division of Forestry battled the blaze late into the night with only 25 percent to 30 percent contained at 8:30 p.m., said Lane Shepherd, a forestry duty officer.

A helicopter dropped 22 loads of water on the blaze, and firefighters on the ground used a bulldozer to try to establish a perimeter to contain the fire. Citrus County dispatch said it sent about 10 trucks to the scene at the height of the blaze.

The effort to control the fire was hampered by the remoteness of the area and the setting sun.

"It got dark trying to catch it," Shepherd said. "And it's pretty rough terrain."

Still, firefighters were able to stop the fire's forward progress, Shepherd said, and hoped to have about 75 percent contained by morning.

If not, he said, the weather - low humidity and wind gusts up to 20 mph - could fuel the blaze today.

With the recent dry spell, forestry officials are reporting higher wildfire hazards. Shepherd said its shaping up to be one of the worst years on record.

"We are seeing fire activity that we don't normally see until February or March," he said. "If we don't get any substantial rain in the next few weeks, we are going to have a very substantial fire season."

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 352 860-7312.

[Last modified October 24, 2006, 00:26:21]