Wildfire Rages in U.S. Forest Near Tallahassee

A wildfire on Friday burned 4,000 to 6,000 acres of the Osceola National Forest and sent smoke 45 miles away, over Jacksonville.

“It’s still burning uncontained,” said Scott Enos, duty officer and supervisor of the state Division of Forestry in Lake City. “We don’t expect any relief from the weather before Monday.”

Westerly winds carried the smoke and the National Weather Service warned of dense smoke in Jacksonville over the weekend unless the fire is brought under control. Enos said the smoke was not blowing over major highways.

The U.S. Forest Service said 100 firefighters were fighting the blaze in Pinhook Swamp, 23 miles northeast of Lake City.

Enos said no structures have been damaged, and there have been no injuries.

“We’re working at keeping it within the forest boundaries,” he said.

Two helicopters and a U.S. Forest Service air-tanker plane using fire retardant chemicals dropped water on the fire Thursday, a state spokesman said.

“The air-tanker has not been very effective because the flames are so high and the fire is running so rapidly,” said Cheryl Summers, information officer for the Florida Division of Forestry.

Summers said the swamp area made it difficult to reach the fire, which was also fueled by dry conditions.

Several commercial paper companies joined state and federal firefighters to battle the blaze. Lumber companies were helping fight the fire by cutting down trees.

The cause of the fire, which began Thursday, was under investigation. It began on land adjacent to the forest owned by a subsidiary of Container Corp.