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Titusville seeks an out as fires close inBy CHASE SQUIRES © St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 1998 A thick fog of gray smoke darkened skies as more than 45,000 acres continued to burn or smolder, forcing 10,000 residents from their homes. For the first time Friday, officials publicly discussed evacuating the 43,000 residents of nearby Titusville as one blaze burned about 4 miles north and two others closed in from the west. Titusville Fire Chief Tom Harner said plans were being made for evacuation if the fires get any closer. The plan is difficult to devise, he said, because major escape routes to the north and west were closed. Meanwhile, hundreds of evacuees were jockeying for precious passes that would allow them to check on their homes, find insurance papers and tend to animals left behind. Tempers flared in lines that stretched around the Mims Elementary School fire staging headquarters. Many were frustrated by the lack of information. "Nobody is in control here, that's the problem," fumed Cindy Williams, a Mims resident. "The sheriff needs to have his butt out here telling us what to do. They don't tell us diddly." All around Williams, residents stood in line, clutching identification papers they hoped would win them a pass. By noon, when winds shifted and smoke cut visibility on U.S. 1 to 100 yards, deputies stopped letting residents through altogether. Still, there remained holdouts, deep behind fire lines. Surrounded by charred woods, brothers Tom and Harold Birkhead stood by their neighboring homes. Harold Birkhead, a 65-year-old retired contractor, rigged an intricate sprinkler system to the roofs of his home and three barns. He patrolled his 3-acre compound on an all-terrain vehicle, hauling buckets of water to soak hot spots. "I was sitting drinking tea a few minutes ago when my sister-in-law called me and said, "Harold, your front lawn is on fire.' I had to run and put it out. I'm not going to lose this house. I worked too hard for it." Deeper in the woods, others were not so fortunate. Henry Paul Lloyd thanked fire crews for saving his house, but he lost two barns packed with tractors and valuable tools. And retired Kennedy Space Center worker William Harrison, 59, cursed himself for heeding evacuation orders Tuesday night. While others stayed and used whatever hoses, buckets and shovels they could to save their homes, his burned unattended. "I have no home, it burned to the ground. Everything I own is gone," he said. "I was on the team that launched John Glenn. I had seven scrapbooks filled with that. Gone." In all, 36 homes and two businesses had burned by Friday in northern Brevard. Another 35 barns, vehicles and garages also went up in smoke. As the fires raged, workers at Titusville's Parrish Medical Center kept watch in case evacuations were called. Spokeswoman Liz Vieira said smoke had infiltrated the hospital, making conditions difficult for patients, especially those already suffering from smoke inhalation or other respiratory ailments. "Our advice for anyone with respiratory problems is just to go. Go now." With smoke filling the air, fire crews from more than 30 cities worked in shifts, including one crew from Largo that brought along Largo City Manager Steve Stanton. "It's good for administrators to see what it's like to work past 5 o'clock," Largo firefighter Dale Cheatham said. "How much sleep did you get last night?" "Three hours," Stanton said.
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IMS -- Morning came to northern Brevard County on Friday, but the sun never did.
