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Track part of race to control wildfires By CHASE SQUIRES © St. Petersburg Times, published July 5, 1998 AYTONA BEACH -- The huge corporate banners at Daytona International Speedway still fluttered in the smoky breeze Saturday, proclaiming NASCAR's first Pepsi 400 race under the lights. Florida on fire More coverage from the pages of the St. Petersburg Times. But with the big event postponed, the action at the famed track shifted from racing stock cars to feeding and housing hundreds of exhausted firefighters who have been warring against stubborn wildfires. The speedway is turning over all race resources to firefighters, track spokesman John Story said. The posh corporate hospitality tent has been converted to a giant dining hall for hungry personnel. The parking lot intended for recreational vehicles has been transformed into a bivouac for National Guard troops and a depot for trucks and equipment. And a 100,000-square-foot track warehouse has been converted to sleeping quarters with portable beds for firefighters whose numbers are expected to grow rapidly to at least 250 by tonight, Story said. Up to 300 Guard members are expected to use the grounds during the week, and the track has space for many more. "This is our home, many of us were born here," Story said. "We really are thankful for the people who came here to help save our homes and we want to do whatever we can for them." That includes continuing to rent the air-conditioned hospitality tents filled with tropical plants until the crisis ends, he said. "We'll keep them up as long as they're needed," Story said. "We would never consider telling these men to leave. This operation is critical." The generosity and messages of support were repeated throughout charred counties along the northeast and central coast. South of Daytona Beach, in the Brevard County town of Mims, residents returning home posted signs on their lawns. "Thank you firefighters" read one. "F.F. Thanks," said another. At a firefighter staging and rehabilitation center that has sprung up at Hooligan's Sport Pub and Club in Volusia's Ormond Beach, fire team coordinator Dan Kraemer said crews have been overwhelmed by generosity. Hooligan's owner Tim Curtis turned his restaurant over to firefighters, providing free hot meals around the clock. Following his lead, hundreds of residents descended on the club, bringing gifts of water, Gatorade, food, eye drops, sunscreen and even a mountain of clean underwear for weary crews. Kraemer said families have set up a system where firefighters can leave their dirty clothes at a drop-off point to be picked up, washed and folded in nearby homes. "We had one guy pull up, yell to us that he had three empty condos on the beach," Kraemer said. "Then he threw us the keys and said any firefighters who wanted could stay there." North Carolina emergency management planner Stephen Payne said the gifts of food, the lodging at the Speedway and even the thanks of residents make the job easier. Payne, directing the arrival of 60 North Carolina firefighters, said teams expect to stay two weeks. The help and attention lets crews concentrate on the job before them. "You know what it's like to try to mow your lawn in this weather? Now, imagine doing that leaning over a lit barbecue grill and wearing a wool sweater," Payne said. "It's that hot. Anything people do for us, we appreciate. Believe it." Business | Citrus | Commentary | Entertainment Hernando | Floridian | Obituaries | Pasco | Sports State | Tampa Bay | World & Nation © Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.