Rain, Humidity Help Put Dampers on Lox Wildlife Refuge Wildfire

A wildfire sparked by lightning in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge that has burned 1,300 acres in northwest Palm Beach County was about 95 percent contained by 10:30 Friday morning, officials said.

Firefighters credited a late afternoon rain on Thursday and 100 percent humidity in the area for the containment.

Helicopters have been ordered to monitor the fire through the weekend.

The Surprise Fire, named because such fires usually don’t occur until later in May, began with a lightning strike about 7 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.

The fire, one of at least three that burned around the county Thursday and about 80 over the past month, is a testament to one of the driest seasons the state has had in at least five years.

"The conditions are ripe for things to break loose in South Florida," said state Division of Forestry spokesman Jim Harrell.

Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency because of dry conditions that caused a wildfire that forced the evacuation of 147 homes in Flagler County and 15 new brush fires that burned 1,400 acres across the state Wednesday night.

Crist ordered activation of the Florida National Guard to work with the Division of Forestry to fight the fires.

The Surprise Fire, at the northern end of the 221-square-mile Loxahatchee Refuge, burned without any water being dropped on it because federal resources were diverted to wildfires in Georgia, spokeswoman Serena Rinker said.

Officials monitored the fire, which was endangering no structures or people. Officials hoped it would continue its northward path toward the 57-mile L-40 Canal bordering the refuge, Rinker said.

Smoke from the fire drifted westward toward sugar cane fields and did not affect traffic. The refuge remained open to the public, though the 20-Mile Bend entrance remained closed on Friday. The entrance will be open to the public on Saturday.

A firefighting helicopter expected to arrive Thursday from the National Forest Service in Ocala was redirected and never came, Rinker said. "We are competing for aviation resources," she said.

The Surprise Fire was in an area of the refuge too dense to reach by land.

Exotic, highly flammable melaleuca trees are in the fire’s path, Rinker said. When the trees burn, they spread their seeds. In April 2006, Florida’s Turnpike was closed for hours in Davie because of burning melaleuca trees.

There have been numerous brush fires this year, but most have been small, knocked out quickly by beefed-up teams of local and state firefighters.

"If it continues the way it’s continuing, we don’t know what to expect," said county Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia.

There were other minor brush fires Thursday near Riviera Beach, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens. A light rain during the afternoon calmed the refuge fire, but it was expected to pick up again, Rinker said.

Most of the wildlife likely had moved to safety in other parts of the federal refuge, she said. The refuge is home to alligators, white-tailed deer, bobcats and more than 250 species of birds.

"We’re concerned right now about getting this one out," Rinker said.

The fire was burning near where lightning sparked another fire May 28-31, 2006, Rinker said. That fire burned 1,355 acres.

Drought caused the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to ban all-terrain vehicles and other motorized vehicles and airboats on the Holey Land and Rotenberger Wildlife Management Areas, Water Conservation Area 3A North in the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, effective today.

"This isn’t a decision we make lightly," said Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Dani Moschella. "We know we have a lot of people go out there and use the areas, but [the drought] is such a dangerous situation that we’ve had to come to this restriction."

Jerome Burdi can be reached at jjburdi@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6531.

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