POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Fire Rescue crews responded to more than 30 brush fires across the county Sunday as dry conditions and high winds fueled flames despite a countywide burn ban, according to a news release.
Officials said the largest fire burned more than 400 acres near State Road 60 in the River Ranch area. An unknown number of camps were burned but no homes or structures in or around the Westgate River Ranch area were affected as of 9 p.m.
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Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Shawn Smith said no evacuations happened in the River Ranch area, but he cautioned that brush fires can be unpredictable, especially with high winds in the forecast. The Florida Forest Service planned to monitor the fire throughout the night.
S.R. 60, which had been closed because of the fire activity, reopened around 9 p.m.
Chief Smith again urged residents to follow the county’s burn ban, citing extreme drought conditions, a lack of significant rainfall, recent high winds and people failing to comply with the ban as factors behind the recent spike in brush fires.
“It seems that brush fires have been a constant issue throughout the day today. I just want to remind everybody that there are serious drought conditions in Polk County,” Smith said. “These illegal recreational fires need to cease.”
Earlier Sunday, PCFR crews also battled a two-alarm brush fire off Osceola Polk Line Road in the Davenport area. That fire burned roughly 68 acres and damaged four non-dwelling structures, according to officials.
Fire departments from Davenport, Haines City, Dundee and Orange County assisted in fighting the Davenport-area blaze.
No injuries were reported in Sunday’s brush fires.